Otago Seminar on Our Deteriorating World

The Clutha River Forum is to hold a public meeting to discuss the major issues that are threatening our world, including fossil fuel dependence, resource depletion, global financial uncertainty, and the irrational pursuit of unending economic growth in a finite world.

“We can’t deny that all natural systems upon which human life depends are deteriorating,” says forum member, Brian Turner. “More and more, human beings are going to have to dig in, in every sense of the phrase. Considerable resilience is called for, everywhere, if we are to make the transition to different ways of living and providing for ourselves.”

Members of the Clutha River Forum include the Upper Clutha River Guardians, the Clutha Mata-Au River Parkway Group, the Central Otago Environmental Society (Save Central), the Beaumont Residents’ Group, the Lower Clutha River Guardians, Forest and Bird - Dunedin Branch, and many other concerned New Zealanders.

The seminar, titled “Adapting to Our Rapidly Changing World”, will have three topics.

ENERGY (SPEAKER: Dr David Beach, Neptune Power)

The International Energy Agency (IEA) has reported that peak oil was in 2006. All fossil fuels are declining in availability and increasing in price, while their emissions are destabilizing our climate. We have no choice but to move toward a clean energy economy as soon as possible. Meantime, our government is pursuing fossil fuel exploration, and our power companies want to hike electricity prices yet again to pay for more generation. But we already waste a vast amount of electricity that could be captured, and globally, clean energy technologies are booming, with investment in the cleantech sector forecast to reach US$30 trillion by 2025. Should New Zealand be a follower or a leader, and what viable options do we have?

ECONOMICS (SPEAKER: Dr Kennedy Graham, Green Party)

For the last two hundred years or so, cheap energy has fuelled phenomenal economic growth. We no longer have the benefits of ample, affordable energy, yet we still pursue “growth,” offsetting rising energy and commodity prices with more and more debt. Even with more cheap energy, growth beyond the natural limits of our planet is not possible. How do we address unsustainable growth and move toward a steady state economy that uses only what can be replaced? What is “real wealth”? Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was designed to be a measure of trade, but has become a surrogate for national well-being, even though it excludes environmental and human costs. Do we need a more realistic measure of our national welfare?

COMMUNITIES (SPEAKERS: Dr Steve Earnshaw, Transition Towns and Timaru District Councillor, and Dugald MacTavish, Hampden Community Energy Inc.)

Human history is a story of expansion to access and exploit natural capital. Globalization and free trade have lengthened supply chains and reduced the ability of communities to supply their own products. Our increasing need for energy and food security, particularly, will require us to be become more locally independent. How can communities be encouraged to pursue sustainable solutions?

The forum aims to identify urgent and necessary actions.

“There are enough solutions to make positive changes today,” says forum coordinator, Lewis Verduyn. “The real problem is that our government leaders haven’t got the moral courage to act on behalf of society. Instead, vested interests are driving us down the road to ruin, focused on their business-as-usual profits.”

Political representatives for the Waitaki electorate have been invited, and all concerned members of the public are welcome and urged to attend to share their views in the discussion.

VENUE: Alexandra Central Stories Museum, Saturday 1st October, 1pm-4.30pm.

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