Experts look to the future

Ballarat Courier
Monday 14/4/2008 Page: 1

Ballarat needs to work hard to combat a changing climate which will bring lower rainfall and higher temperatures to the region. New water sources trust be found, forests maintained and all residents need to do their bit. That's the view of a panel of experts who addressed more than 500 participants at Saturday's Ballarat Regional Forum on Climate Change. The forum, hosted by Ballarat Renewable Energy and Zero Emissions, addressed strategies to combat the effects of climate change on land, water and the atmosphere.

BREAZE president Nick Lanyon said the forum aimed to improve knowledge, provide a platform for questions and establish and promote positive ideas for change. Mr Lanyon said the future depended on the choices made by individuals, families, businesses and government. Ballarat MHR Catherine King opened the forum, commenting on the severe water shortages and the opportunity for Ballarat to be at the forefront of developing new strategies and products to help reduce emissions.

The impact of climate change will have the economic disturbance of the two world wars and the depression combined," she said. We have to combat climate change here, so we can be a voice for this global challenge." Four nationally renowned speakers discussed the different facets of climate change and provided positive strategies for moving forward. Mr Lanyon said BREAZE was exuberant over the response from the community and the questions asked after each speech and in the panel discussion at the end.

"There is such a critical growing interest and awareness about broader sustainability issues," he said. We were thrilled with the level of intelligence. "There were no negative questions, all were positively framed and forward looking." My Lanyon also said he was aware that there would be a carbon cost to holding the forum.

When we had this idea we knew there were going to be hundreds of people arrive, not necessarily on bicycles, and we would be creating emissions as a result of trying to reduce them," he said. We calculated the overall footprint of the event was 1.7 tonnes of CO2 just from people arriving. To offset this we raffled a solar hot water system and the emissions savings from the system will well and truly offset the emissions created by people travelling to the event."