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​President’s Message:  'Climate Change, Carbon and COVID - are we all at C?'

30/7/2020

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Over the past couple of months, I have read various commentaries regarding the relationship between the Covid-19 pandemic and carbon emissions, and the potential positive effect on climate change, due to less traffic on our roads.

The downside, however, is that we have become even more of a ‘takeaway’ society, and the proliferation of throwaway coffee cups and polystyrene food containers, is a disturbing outcome. Try as I might to convince coffee baristas to accept my keep cup, explaining that they could make my coffee in a china mug and pour it into my keep cup, logic and common sense had gone out the window, as they all insisted Covid health regulations required them to use takeaway cups - which they handed to me with ungloved hands!!

This all might seem trivial, but it is actually symptomatic of a more wide-reaching problem that concerns me in this current period of crisis. Have we become a society that is totally compliant to expert advice without question, worn down by the enormity of all the problems we face? Have we lost the will to question decisions of government thrust upon us, either because of the uncertainty of where this is all heading, or because of the threat of the penalties for non-compliance?

Please understand that I am not questioning the dangers of this Covid-19 pandemic. Rather, I am concerned about the type of society that may be evolving from the pandemic. There are extreme reactions already in evidence around the world, ranging from the desperation of poor people deprived of health care and essential supplies, to the arrogance and selfishness of those people (politicians, elite sports people, beach revellers, etc.) who either don't think or care about the effect of their actions on others. These are not new issues, but my concern is that they will become more prevalent and extreme, the longer the pandemic continues.

As for the effect on climate change, the reduction in carbon emissions has helped, but the proposals to lead us towards economic recovery in Australia will not, especially if Scott Morrison's gas-weighted committee has its way. Whichever way I look at gas as a means of providing energy, it is still burning a fossil fuel, producing carbon dioxide and methane, and certainly not alleviating the problem of climate change. Renewables create emissions in their manufacturing phase and in the mining of the construction materials, but that is the end of the story, unlike gas and coal.

Finally, if you missed the last episode of ‘Road to Now’ on ABC TV (30th June), try to watch it on iview, as it dealt with natural disasters, and in particular, those associated with climate events - a stark reminder of the need to take urgent action on climate change.

Peter Holmes
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Swanpool Environmental Film Festival... reprise online!

19/7/2020

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This year's Swanpool Environmental Film Festival could not go ahead because of the Corona Virus Pandemic, leaving quite a gap for many of us.   We've retrieved a section of our website which provides a summary of what has happened over the past four years, including links to trailers of past films, some of which are now available on line.  Perhaps you'd like to search for and 'cast' them on to your television and have your own 'Film Festival' while socially distancing!
"BSFG partners with Swanpool Landcare and the Gecko CLaN ​in running the annual Swanpool Environmental Film Festival at the Swanpool Cinema.

The 2016 Festival featured three thought provoking films - 'Polyfaces', 'Anthropocene' and 'Tarkine In Motion' - alternating with presentations by inspirational guest speakers, Prof Kate Auty;  'Polyfaces' co-Director Isabella Doherty and Cinematographer Andreas Overdahl; Dr Kerryn Higgs' on  ‘Collision Course: The Growth Delusion’ and Prof Michael Clarke's on ‘Ecological Literacy, ambivalence and inspiration’.

The 2017 Festival featured   'The Age of Stupid' 
featuring Peter Postlethwaite; ‘The Age of Consequences‘ and ‘The Bentley Effect‘. The films were interspersed between guest speakers Julian Cribb on ‘Surviving the 21st Century’; Dr Richard David Hames on ‘Burying the 20th Century’ and Prof Sharon Beder, on ‘Business-Managed Democracy’ 

The 2018 Festival on 16th June was a sell out, with 195 bookings!  The festival featured Dr Samuel Alexander and film ‘Living in the Futures Past’: Dr Charles Massy, author of 'The Cry of the Reed Warbler' and film ‘Living the Change’; a Guest Panel chaired by Kate Auty featuring Dr Ian Herbert; Bertram Lobert, Shirley Saywell and speakers from the Strathbogie Forests group who took action at the Barjarg coupe and the film ‘Paper Trail’.

​The 2019 Swanpool Environmental Film Festival 2019 (PG) was held on Saturday 15 June from 1pm to 9:40pm.:
Session One: Dr Tilman Ruff and film ‘System Error’
Session Two: Professor Samantha Hepburn and Short Enviro Film Fest
Session Three: Professor Tim Reeves and film ‘2040’.
Read more about the 2019 festival...
We missed this year's Festival, thoroughly appreciating the thinking by Ian Herbert and his team which goes in to creating a festival to expose us to the vanguard of current thinking in relation to sustainable futures.  We also missed the catering by Swanpool Catering Team volunteers which sustained us during breaks between Sessions which provided opportunities for audience members to network and catch up with friends. 

Hopefully we'll be able to meet up again in June 2021!

Bev Lee
Media Team
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    ​BSFG News

    Regular updates on sustainability issues of concern to BSFG members in Benalla and North East Victoria and on key events in the BSFG calendar.

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​Benalla Sustainable Future Group acknowledges the traditional owners of the land on which we live, work and meet, the Taungerang, Yorta Yorta and Bpangerang people ​of North East Victoria, and pay our respects to their elders past, present and emerging.
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