The bell tolls for what?

RT says:

10:18am | 21/09/09

You’re right. Enougfh of this habit of councils to make a political statement through the urban blight of signs and banners.  The ‘nuclear-free zone’ thing was at once the most impotent and most annoying. At least the bell-ringing is not going to annoy by hanging around to remind us of stupid councils.

Anthony says:

10:38am | 21/09/09

The ice caps are not melting, Antarctica has been increasing in size for thirty years and the arctic is recovering from a record low in 2007. So to claim both ice caps are melting that’s a straight out deception.

Madeleine says:

10:56am | 21/09/09

Given the scale of the threat facing our world as a result of climate change I think any attempts to raise awareness and build community pressure on our political leaders to commit to stronger targets is admirable. In the face of growing pessimism as to the outcomes of the international talks in Copenhagen I think symbolic events designed to inspire community action are more important then ever and applaud Clover taking action.

simon says:

11:06am | 21/09/09

If you look closely at the dimmist of local councillor there is your backbencher of the future.

God help us, the world is starting to run on a series of plattitudes and feel good vibes. I hope they are edible.

Margaret Gray says:

11:08am | 21/09/09

“...Now I’m a Clover fan. I live in her council area and she’s big on making it a better place for residents…”

C’mon Tory.  You can’t be serious.

This is the same deep dark green Clover Moore who embraces the corporatised toss fest that is Earth Hour and would prefer that we all cycle to work and live by candle light.

The woman has no credibility on this issue.  Her views are populist tosh.

Joe says:

12:07pm | 21/09/09

Ringing bells at random times? What a load of rubish. Not only do they not known what Clock bells are for, but they seem to forget what councils are for. This may do something for their yuppie guilt but nothing for nature and the hot air fest in Copenhagen.

Julia says:

12:37pm | 21/09/09

For whom. The bell tolls for WHOM.

Daniel says:

12:45pm | 21/09/09

Now Clover is on the gravy train it seems. She has had loads of opportunity to put in place greenhouse cutting measures but she has done nothing. She just wants a free holiday to Copenhagen.

jonathan says:

01:12pm | 21/09/09

Hi Margaret Gray,
are you saying that every little bit DOESN’T help? 
Earth hour, while being a wank, is an attempt at awareness: turn off the lights whenever you can to save energy.  Duh.
Cycling to work would be a massive benefit for everyone:  you lose weight, are generally healthier and use up fewer sick days.  And also decrease traffic congestion and reduce crowding on our ridiculous public transport system.  Try it sometime: once you get used to the abuse from your fellow humans trapped in their cars it becomes quite enjoyable.
Your candlelight comment is ridiculous, thanks.

Shama says:

02:03pm | 21/09/09

“China and India don’t seem to care”

Why single out India & China?  Maybe you need to take a good, hard look at a culture that has reached such a silly point of consumption that it gets cheap plastic “grass” skirts (hawaiian) made in China and sold along with other party tat in a number of cheap stores run by Australian “entrepreneurs”. 

Anything wrong with looking at your own backyard - in more ways that one.?

Australian “entrepreneur" says:

03:22pm | 21/09/09

Shama: find me a Australian manufacturer who can make 10,000 plastic “grass” skirt for under 50c by next week and ill gladly buy them =)

Shama says:

03:52pm | 21/09/09

My comment on Australian entrepreneurs was on guys who roam the world procuring cheap tat for the discount stores not on maufacturers per se.  Judging by my experience, there are a fair few

I guess the point is it doesn’t matter where it is made so its somewhat specious to suggest that India and China aren’t putting a stop to their bad manufacturing practices.  It just seems like consumption gone insane if something that can be made at home from crayons + ribbons of newspapers (people, support the local industry and buy them - they can be put to many uses!) needs to be made for under 50c at some remote factory in China and then transported here.  Surely buyers are as culpable as manufacturers.

Margaret Gray says:

04:00pm | 21/09/09

Hi jonathan,

Studies by the relevant utlities every Earth Hour across the country have shown that electricity usage actually increases during the Big Switch Off, rendering this completely vacuous and overwhelmingly tokenistic gesture horribly irrelevant and ultimately pointless.  Maybe even counter-productive.

But hey, it’s all about FEELING good isn’t it?

“...Cycling to work would be a massive benefit…”

Believe it or not there is a world beyond an inner-city terrace within easy cycling distance of the organic whole foods providore and “work”.

Duh.

Australian “entrepreneur" says:

04:09pm | 21/09/09

If consumers weren’t buying 10,000 plastic “grass skirts i.e. cheap tat.. then surely these so called “entrepreneurs” wouldn’t be making a living and hence no need for their services.

In theory your supporting local industry works.. but in theory communism works.

pc says:

04:46pm | 21/09/09

Hi Tory, really pleased to hear that you’ve become all serious about tackling climate change. But of course what you give with one hand you take with the other,

“Serious people are thinking seriously right now about how to reach emissions targets in Copenhagen, which most of us now know is more than just where Princess Mary lives. Kevin Rudd is in the US talking to every man and his dog about it. Silly stunts are not going to help. “

Serious people discussing the copenhagen summit know that the problem is political courage on the part of our politicians. Any treaty will fail if it does not have the consent of the worlds nation states but it will also fail without popular support. As far as I can tell that popular support wants more than the minimalist proposals of the present government. No matter how you try to keep up Tory, the oz and the punch always seem to be catching up to public opinion.

Shama says:

06:33pm | 21/09/09

Australian “entrepreneur” my original post was with regard to India and China and climate change.  If people implicate *only* the manufacturing countries that is simplistic since it ignores the consumers.  I took an extreme example to state that if there is so much concern about climate change don’t pin the blame elsewhere but look at your own consumption patterns.  And didn’t particularly mean to offend entrepreneurs. 

In fact it is pointless to say buy local” when consumers clearly don’t so I am not advocating it (it was just a joke). 

Also I am sure that “glass fibre head” of Kev is non-recyclable and made in China

I do realise that theory is just that - theory, aesthetically grass skirts are cheap tat but the market place has its own logic.

regina says:

08:53pm | 21/09/09

gawd, local councils are so useless. another layer of government we could do without. next we’ll have nathan rees officiating at the planting of a tree in centennial park.

oh and i hate to be tabloid and all but ... is it just me or maybe the angle of the pic, but does therese look like she’s put on a bit of weight?

Front Row says:

01:41pm | 28/09/09

Hey PC - How much carbon will all the local councillors put into the atmosphere jetting off to their little green networking side-show? Why not have a carbon-neutral conference call from home? I’m sure you can sense the hypocrisy.
Do you really support struggling local ratepayers being forced to pick up the tab for an event for local councillors that which is completely irrelevant?
This special Copenhagen for local councils will cost a fortune due to increased accommodation charges triggered by the massive inflow of carbon-cultists.
Strange sense of priorities here. None of it is going to make any difference at all to so-called greenhouse emissions.  It will simply redistribute more resources from the poor to the new carbon speculators.  The carbon cultists have peaked in PR terms, they are becoming more marginalised as the free world wakes up to what’s really going on.
It’s the sort of thing poor old Ken Livingston would come up with.
Is this really wise, PC?
I think The Australian is much closer to the public’s sentiment on this issue than you seem to give it credit for. I agree with you the ETS will fail without public support, and that support is ebbing in a big way, helped along by The Australian’s coverage of some of the dissenting views on both sides.
From the pro-ETS group’s perspective, it’s already finished.
The fear factor they have run has been maximised, it can’t go any further up the dial, and people are quickly becoming immunised to it.  This was always the big risk of getting the timing wrong on the campaign for change. Many people simply stopped believing in the UN and global institutions after the Rwanda disaster was backed up against some of the epic corruption that has afflicted the organisation and others.
Now wait to see what happens when mainstream people start thinking about the increasing prices of goods and services attached to this new global market trading in a product no-one can see.
And then imagine how it unfolds once the coal industry starts running out that massive advertising spend they’ve been holding back on…  it’s game over, PC.
There’s an entrenched, old capital order fighting a new one that is simply too divided into its various interest groups to win on this issue, which is all about resources redistribution. Capital will always trump government.
We don’t have to like it, but that’s the way it is.
Anyway, there will probably be a plague or a war or something in the next ten or 20 years that will wipe half the planet out, anyway, which I suggest will fix things rather quickly.
Till then, relax and make the most of that sangria, old cock.