Dr Ted Christie: Environmental Dispute Resolution and Sustainable Solutions

            Divergent public opinion and controversy has arisen in Australia over a referendum the Federal Government intends to hold later this year. Specifically, that an advisory body known as the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice (“ the Voice ”) may make representations to Parliament and the Executive on matters relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. However, the available information to facilitate voting  about the “ the Voice process ”  at the referendum has been an issue.     A conflict management framework  was applied to address this issue. The focus was on the  “interests”  (or  needs and concerns ) about the Voice process that the public have in relation to the referendum question –  rather than the voting   “position”  they may hold . The features of “ the Voice process ” were compared with public participation processes for resolving public int...

  T h e challenge for stable electricity   on an energy grid, powered primarily by renewables, is to   ensure continuous energy when the sun isn't shining, or the wind isn't blowing; or even if there is a sudden spike in demand i.e., Firming capacity. As renewables replace coal, significant issues over energy security   have ignited public concern and controversy whether renewables, such as wind and solar energy, ensure stable electricity power . Public concern resonates with the following opinion by the former Energy Security Board of Australia chairwoman, Dr Kerry Schott, as reported in the Australian Financial Review   (28 February 2023): ‘Former energy tsar,  Kerry Schott,  has criticised State governments, especially Victoria, for “demonising” gas, saying the fuel was crucial to shift the electricity grid from coal to renewable energy as part of the net zero transition… gas has to be part of the solution in the transition to renewable ener...

      T he media coverage that followed a protest by a group of climate activists in Brisbane on 01 February focussed more on the “general overreach” of government in silencing protesters - rather than on understanding activist concerns: Whether “we are acting appropriately or urgently enough on climate change”. Whilst there may be divided public opinion on rights to protest, there should be no dispute that the activist’s concerns drew attention to serious issues related to action for climate change. Australia’s new Climate Change Act 2022 came into force on 15 September 2022. GHG emissions are to be reduced   by 43% on 2005 levels by 2030 and to reach net-zero by 2050. But the legislation does not as yet provide a national plan on how these targets are to be achieved. In the absence of any national plan for action for climate change, climate activist concerns about what the future holds for our children and grandchildren are real and warrant wider conversat...

  KEY WORDS: Paris Agreement; emission reduction targets; energy security; affordable energy; renewables;  equity; sustainable development; SDG13; scientific-round-table; ETS 1.0    To achieve the Paris Agreement goals, effective integration between energy security and action for climate change to reduce GHG emissions is crucial - but remains problematic. 2.0      The UN’s 2030 Agenda Sustainable Development Goal 13 for “ Climate Action ” requires climate change measures to be integrated into national plans, policies, and strategies. 3.0      A national plan for energy security and sustainable development should not only represent a power system that is affordable, reliable, and secure - but also have the optimum balance between renewables and other feasible and viable climate action options to achieve emission  reduction targets, sustainably. 4.0   A pathway for a national plan that integrates energy securi...

KEY WORDS:  Paris Agreement;  emission reduction targets;  energy security; power systems; dispatchability;  predictability; illusory promise; national plans; equity; sustainable development; SDG13; multi-objective analysis 1.0      Commitments by governments for reducing emissions in their NDCs, to date, fall far short of what is required.  2.0      A national plan should not only represent a power system that has the optimum balance between renewables and other climate action option(s) to reduce emissions sustainably and equitably; but also the plan should lead to a commitment that can be implemented.  3.0      W ithout a national plan on how to implement emission targets into climate action to achieve Paris goals and its binding obligations, there is a risk that the targets pledged could prove to be an “illusory promise” i.e., a promise made which is uncertain, indefinite, vague or impossible to fulfil. R...

  TAGS: Energy security; sustainable development; multi-objective analysis; methodology; scenarios; objective criteria; innovation; diffusion; adoption Climate action national plans relied on to achieve emission reduction targets must be made in accordance with the Paris Agreement’s binding obligations. A problem-solving pathway based on multi-objective analysis methodology is outlined which enables sustainable solutions for energy security and climate action to be found. The methodology would facilitate the preparation of viable national plans to reduce emissions as they would be made “on the basis of equity and in the context of sustainable development” - and so comply with the Paris Agreement.   READ MORE...

  TAGS: COVID-19; resilience; recovery; impacts – public health, economics, social, cultural; inter-generational equity; sustainable development; methodology - multi-objective analysis; public participation.      Any plan for recovery must focus on a future in which it may be improbable to reduce COVID-19 health risks to a zero level.       Co-existence with COVID-19 should be seen as the norm for a resilient society.   Recovery from the pandemic also needs to be seen as a classic sustainable development problem for Government to resolve – not simply public health or economic   issues.     Any recovery plan should minimize the extent to which costs and benefits are shared disproportionately between generations.    The recovery plan requires sustainable solutions that resonate with the principle of intergenerational equity – a concept of fairness between generations. The principle is the foundation for sustaina...