When will extreme weather conditions stop making news?

One wonders when extreme weather will cease being news? Given the present heat wave and the media's intense coverage of it and the forecast catastrophic weather conditions ahead, will this become the norm? The weather is always in the news, it's baseline conversation for most people, even when it's just plain pleasant. What period of time does it take though for it to cease being considered unusual. Seems to be adding fuel to climate change issues though...

What of our future in an environment of green fatigue?

The local paper (Daily Liberal) recently reported a story with a sub-heading "Temperature rise to be death knell for region". Professor Clive Hamilton (Centre for Applied Philosophy & Public Ethics) was quoted as saying "A 6 per cent average increase across western NSW would make that part of the State virtually uninhabitable." He suggests that Australian research indicates a jump in temperature would treble the number of the very hottest days over 40 degrees.

This article appeared only days after extensive media coverage of "green fatigue" (http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,26239892-26103,00.html). I also recently visited friends who were commenting that they thought the whole climate change "thing" and "green politics" was nothing but a diversion tactic being played out by politicians.

I also recently heard a very entertaining after-dinner speaker (a scientist) who disputed the science behind climate change predictions, indicating he thought it was more about which scientist or scientific institution could most scare the "bejesus" out people.

So, who is right? Maybe it is the sceptics. But I'd like to think that even if the worst case predictions are wrong, we just can't continue the way we have been. World populations have to slow down or stop growing, we have to clean up the way we live and reduce our reliance on resource-hungry ways of living. We only have one earth and she is fast running out of puff...she is literally holding the weight of the world on her shoulders.

bird/chop at Chop Art Shop

I have a new work (pictured left) in progress for a Fresh Arts Inc. exhibition in Millthorpe, Central West NSW, due to open on 1 October 2009.

Titled bird/chop, the installation piece will be going into the cool room of an old butchers shop which is now an art gallery called the Chop Art Shop.

Incorporating sound in the work, bird/chop is a multi-media, site-specific installation that looks at the use of land to meet our need for a European-style diet centred on red meat consumption, and often produced using European farming practices. While delving into our farming history it questions the legacy we are creating for future generations.

Fresh Meat runs from 1 October - 1 November 2009, Chop Art Shop, 25 Victoria Street, Millthorpe. An artist celebration will be held on Sunday, 25 October at 11am. RSVP: Chop Art Shop (02) 6366 3905. Chop Art Shop is open Thurs/Fri 5pm - 9pm and Sat/Sun 10am - 5pm.

(C) Kim V. Goldsmith, 2009: cardboard, tape, sound system, clay, feathers, paint, handmade book

Places of work and home amongst most energy inefficient in the developed world

Australia is behind Mexico and Argentina in terms of its ability to meet greenhouse gas emissions targets, a report says.

The Climate Institute and European think-tank E3G released the report in the lead-up to next week's G20 meeting in the US.

Australia ranked 15th in an analysis of its capacity to generate business in a low-carbon economy, the lowest position of any industrialised country.

The report also found Australia was in the bottom of the pack when it came to its share of meeting the global greenhouse gas target of 450 parts per million by 2020.

Australia came 16th, with only Turkey, Russia and Saudi Arabia requiring a bigger turnaround to get back on track.

Climate Institute spokesman John Connor says the ranking is not surprising, considering Australia is a fossil fuel, carbon intensive economy.

"We need to improve that rate of productivity. The renewable energy target which has just been passed is very important, and that is 20 per cent of our energy by 2020. Of course we have got to get on with the rest of the 80 per cent," he said.

"We have got to get on across the industrial sector, our places of work and home are amongst the most energy inefficient in the developed world.

Source: ABC/AAP
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/14/2684578.htm

Knowing what is best for people

In an interview with Pat Hoffie for the journal, Artlink, South African artist William Kentridge "talked about how colonialism still persists in describing itself to itself in terms of 'knowing what's best for people' and then applying those decisions by force...The monopoly of physical power and the assumption of wisdom, he pondered, are always catastrophic."

The full article is not yet available online on the Artlink website - but the link is http://www.artlink.com.au/articles.cfm?id=3283. (pp 46 -51, Volume 29 No 3)

It makes one wonder about the colonialists of the green movement. Are efforts to ensure individuals and local communities have global consideration for their actions shifting beyond a quiet groundswell to an attitude of "knowing what's best for people" and the an increasing willingness to apply decisions by force?

Coverage of PAE exhibition in The Land Newspaper

The Land newspaper (NSW) today published an artist profile piece based on the Perspectives. Art. Ecology. exhibition (above).

Climatic extremes: a new norm

The Sydney Morning Herald ran a story last weekend (News Review, p5 by Debra Jopson and Ben Cubby) about the farmers continuing to do more with less, more concerning scientific predictions and politicians playing politics...all while our climate continues to undergo change, global food security decreases, and the climate change sceptics get the last word. I wonder what it will take to ruffle the tail feathers of these ostriches?

http://www.smh.com.au/environment/global-warming/farmers-face-hardship-as-climate-changes-20090814-el72.html

Thank you

Thank you to all who supported The Coming of Age Project over past months. The artworks which resulted from the project, as well as from other research and documentation, were successfully shown at the Western Plains Cultural Centre, 23 May - 19 July 2009. Despite the Perspectives. Art. Ecology. exhibition now being over, The Coming of Age Project will continue, with plans to run it for at least 10 years, and to expand the framework to include other communities across Australia.

I will continue to post information, images and links, seek feedback, conduct video interviews and create new artworks that visually communicate the issues communities face as they seek creative solutions to protecting our environment for future generations.

Image: installation view of Perspectives. Art. Ecology

Urban pressure on food production

Following on from my last post regarding the waste generated by urban populations, I've found a discussion paper by Professor Julian Cribb (Julian Cribb & Associates and well known science communicator), titled The Coming Famine (published in January 2008). My reason for investigating Julian Cribb's position on water use and the impact our water-hungry ways will have on future generations was prompted by an ABC Radio rural report interview this morning (30/6/09).

Professor Cribb was speaking at the launch of the Water4Food initiative in Canberra. He maintains that the world is headed for major famine and wars if we don't urgently address our attitude towards water. A podcast of the interview with Professor Cribb is available from the ABC Western Plains Rural Report page.

In the discussion paper, Professor Cribb outlines the downward trend of key indicators affecting global food security. He also makes the comment that the thing that stands out is that the scale of impact of climate change is somewhat uncertain, but the other trends are "real, well-documented and predictable."

He says the challenge over the next two generations is to raise food production by 110% from a more degraded natural resource and reduce world populations from 9 billion to 2-3 billion by 2100. Food for thought...or action?

Throw away society's legacy

In the Sydney Morning Herald on 17 June, Ainslie MacGibbon wrote about the waste disposal systems of a consumer hungry society. For those who missed the Animal in Art Lecture at Western Plains Cultural Centre on 18 June and my reference to her line about "birds are near the end of a long list of victims of over-consumption", then here is the link to the article.

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/here-lie-remnants-of-throwaway-lives-20090616-cghh.html

If birds are an indicator of the health of our environment, then drunken parrots and overfed, disheveled cockatoos are a sad reminder that all is not right. Given that it is estimated that 60% of the world's population will be living in urban environments by 2030 we have to find a more sustainable, earth-friendly way of dealing with high tech, material cast offs. The coming broadscale introduction of digital television (and radio) and rapid developments in computer and mobile technologies are making the race to find solutions to our waste problems critical.

Observe or engage

It's easy to observe. It is much more challenging to engage.

Welcome to Perspectives. Art. Ecology.

Welcome to Perspectives. Art. Ecology., the exhibition, and the Coming of Age Project. I'd like to invite you to participate in this forum to discuss issues about the future of our environment - particularly those elements that are important to you.

What would you fight to preserve for future generations?

Take the time to read the posts and the comments others have left. Watch the blog videos on this site and feel free to respond to anything you see. Read the "how to comment" information in the right hand column.

Thank you for giving us your time today.

Counting down the days

As the days count down to the opening of Perspectives. Art. Ecology., I'm starting to wonder whether or not discussion about the future of our environment has any resonance in the current climate.

My readings of the weekend papers, particularly the lifestyle sections are particularly telling...much space dedicated to the latest fashions, household items and latest architectural/renovation trends...more and more ways to use spend money on resource-hungry items that supposedly "enrich"our lives. The whole recessionista idea of recycling, reusing and buying better quality less often seems to have been short-lived.

How do we seriously reduce our impact on the planet and our local environment when the mass media and society's influencers are still encouraging us to upgrade, upsize and overhaul our lives with the latest must-have items?

Rugby league commentator, Phil Gould made a comment in the Sun-Herald on 17 May which said: "We just need one generation to break the mould." He went on to write, "...it's peer group pressure that gets the best results."

Apply this sentiment to issues surrounding the future of our environment, and I think we're in trouble.

Empower the people of the river

On ABC Radio's Western Plains Rural Report on Thursday, 14 May the CEO of RiverSmart Australia, Dr Bill Phillips made the comment that when you walk into the pub and ask anyone in a riverside town how they feel about what's happening with our rivers, they simply feel disempowered.

This report can be heard by following the links for the 14 May Rural Report at http://www.abc.net.au/rural/nsw/westernplains/

How are you feeling about the state and future of the rivers in the Central West? Do you feel empowered enough to make a difference?

For more information about RiverSmart Australia go to http://www.riversmart.org.au/

Parrots or jobs - can't we have both?

A story that hit the headlines in the media today (11/5/09) leaves me wondering about how blinkered decision-makers and stakeholders (which includes rural communities) are when it comes to options for a sustainable future. At the moment the arguments seem to be either/or...black or white. The 161 comments on the ABC News page makes interesting reading (yes, there's some rubbish in there as well)...particularly those that wonder about whose responsiblity it is to invest in green jobs. Do rural communities take this initiative, or do we wait for a legislative response and a higher power to determine when and how it happens?

Parrot 'putting hundreds of jobs at risk' - http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/05/11/2566058.htm

Coming to fruition

As the creative processes of producing artworks for the Coming of Age Project comes to pass for a time, and the focus becomes more about the technical aspects of bringing a show together in the austere, reflective space of a public gallery, I've paused to wonder about the role of creativity in problem solving.

The difficulties of bringing together an exhibition are probably not that different to the problems we face managing environmental issues. In a gallery setting it is almost expected that creativity will be applied to finding a solution. The benefits of doing so are evident...to artists and curators at least.

Does our future hinge on creative problem solving? Can art play a concrete role in stimulating discussion, facilitating different view points and ultimately finding creative solutions to the big issues of sustainability and regeneration that face our world?

I invite you to respond to the questions on this blog and the ones in this post - as the Coming of Age Project and the Perspectives. Art. Ecology. exhibition explore different takes on the past, the present and future of the environments in which we live. This blog will be on display in the Perspectives. Art. Ecology. exhibition. Feel free to contribute before, during and following the public exhibition period. We'd love to see you in the blog tent at the gallery!

Perspectives. Art. Ecology. on show at Dubbo Regional Gallery - The Armati Bequest, Western Plains Cultural Centre, Dubbo, 23 May - 19 July 2009

An artist's perspective - Kim

In this video blog, I have attempted to explain some of my concerns about the future of our enviroment - the motivation for the Coming of Age project.

Inseparable - Shona

For Shona Whitfield, the environment is a major, special part of her life - professionally and personally. It is so significant in her life she finds it difficult to separate herself from it.

Magic & resilience - Matthew & Fergus

A magic place - Matthew
Environmental education teacher, Matthew McKenzie has introduced the idea of a magic spot to the children who visit his facility. The magic spot is simply a quiet, outdoor place where one can be immersed in the natural environment. It is a place to stop and reflect, a practice that children and adults alike can benefit from.

Resilient landscapes - Fergus
As the manager of Little River Landcare Group, Fergus Job has seen the ability of Central West landscapes to heal. He believes it simply requires the will to look beyond the surface.

Legacy - Pip

A champion of rural communities and a mother with great hope for the environment she sees as her children's future, Pip Job believes people are the critical element of the landscape she loves.