Spirit of the Times 2011 Issue1

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Spir i t of t he TimesTe Zeitgeist Movement Australia Magazine

Issue #1

September 2011

www.zeitgeistaustralia.orgww.thezeitgeistmovement.com

t p : / / c r e a t i v e c o m m o n s . o r g / l i c e n s e s / b y - n c - s a / 3 . 0 /

What ifwe applied the same methodologythat gives us our scientific breakthroughsto

society?

Online Copy: FREEHard Copy Costs: $3

Climate change, renewable energy and the urgency of transition.


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Spir i t of t he Times Magazine

The Zeit geist Movement Aust r al ian Chapt erPage 2

2011Sept ember Iss ue

News, updates & upcoming events 3. News from TZM around the globe

4. TZM AU Chapter news

Information 7. Going Beyond Zero - Beyond Zero

Emissions are touted as contemporary climatechange heroes, but who are they, andwhat are they trying to do?

Kari McGregor introduces Beyond Zero Emissions, the non-protorganizationwhomayjustturnoutto

be climate-change heroes.

11. Beyond Zero Emissions Advocacy Project Michael Kubler explains the Zeitgeist Movements

backing of Beyond Zero Emissions.

14. The Energy Transition Mark Rogers examines energy transitions through the ages,explaininghowamovetoward100%renewableis

viable in the near future.

Analysis 17. A price on pollution reading beyond the

rhetoric Kari McGregor reports on the governments plans and whattheyreallymeanforAustralia.

19. Hydraulic fracturing: government sponsoredecological terrorism

AndrewCooperinvestigatesthetruthbehindnatural gas extraction.

Comment 21. Carbon tax a weapon of mass distraction? GregMolineuxcritiquesthepoliticalpowerplaybehind

the governments proposal.

23. Does going green = going broke? ChrisWilkinsontheblueeconomyandhow

sustainability can be achieved through the elimination

ofwaste.

Review 24. Documentary flm review: Gasland

CONTENTS

A warm welcome from the TZM team

As this is our rst issue o Spirit o the imes Id like to take the opportunity to extend a warm welcome romthe tireless ZM team to all our supporters thank you so much or keeping our spirits up and helping tomake this movement what it is: the worlds largest grassroots movement or social change!

Each o our bimonthly issues aimsto present ZM primarily within anAustralian context, delivering chapter-specic news, global updates on theMovements progress, inormative articlesregarding contemporary issues, discursiveanalyses, social commentary, criticalthinking, and book and lm reviewswith content relevant to ZM aims andethos. Each issue presents its own geistytheme; the rst is, appropriately to thecurrent environmental zeitgeist, Climatechange, renewable energy, and the urgency

of transition.

It is in this, our rst, issue, that we wouldlike to present our advocacy or BeyondZero Emissions, a non-prot organizationthat is leading the way toward anemissions-ree uture via cutting edgetechnology or a renewable energyinrastructure. We present this advocacyin parallel with various concerns raisedregarding Australias carbon tax proposals,and increasingly worrying emphasison the unsustainable and potentiallydangerous alternative to coal naturalgas. And o course were not all doom andgloom! Tere is (sun)light at the end o thetunnel, and this issue aims to demonstrate

just how close we are to genuine climatechange solutions.

We hope that you will nd this anentertaining and inormative read, andthat you will nd inormation worth

sharing!

Happy geisting,

Kari McGregor & TZM team

Any feedback regarding current articles or enquiriesabout future submissions is to be sent to: [email protected]

Please indicate whether you would like feedback tobe passed on to the writer of any given article, and/or published in the next issue. Tank you.


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Page 3The Zeit geist Movement Aust r al ian Chapt er

Spir it of t he Times Magazine 2011Sept ember Iss ue

ZM Australia have recently been reaching out tochapters around the globe, attending collaborative

planning orums in cyberspace with representativeso chapters rom countries as ar away as the UnitedStates, Portugal and Slovakia. Recognizing thebenets that can be gained rom internet interactionthe Zeitgeist Movement aims to be the worlds rsttruly integrated collaborative grass-roots movementor social change, and is already the largest.

Te global event o the season, coming up in justa ew days time 9th 11th September, is theZeitgeist Media Festival, which engages the artisticcommunity in a meaningul role in eecting socialchange, recognizing the power o art and media tohelp change the world and its value system or thebetter. Te Zeitgeist Media Festival aims to bridgethe gap between an intellectual understanding othe necessary changes that must take place, and theoen-neglected personal transormation o core

values within each o us, while also reminding usthat society as it exists was created by us, and that wecan change it anytime we choose.

Te premier event o the estival, taking place on11th September, is the Zeitgeist Media Festivalin LA, which is partnering up with the LA Food

Bank or the event in a ood drive to help the manyhomeless and suering people in Los Angeles. Allparticipating chapters o the global Movement areencouraged to conduct similar resource based drivesor those in need across the world.

News from TZM around the globe

Kari McGregor (SA)


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Since the inception o the global Zeitgeist Movementin August 2008 Australia has become increasinglyaware o the problems inherent in the current

system, the roots o these problems, and the needor paradigm shi. In line with this awakeninggrassroots activist chapters o the movement havesprung up all over the country rom the east coastcosmopolitan metropolis o Sydney to the ar reacheso the tranquil west coast, with outreach beginningto extend to Ballarat and Bendigo in the goldelds,and Alice Springs in the heart o the desert. Tanksto the hard work and solid commitment o ouractivists and supporters we are now in a position toset an example o resource-based economy activism

on an international scale.

Due to ever an ever-expanding communicationsnetwork and a commitment to outreach AustralianZM chapters are beginning to collaboratesuccessully over a range o projects and learnrom one another regarding issues includingeective approaches to grassroots activism, publicawareness campaigns, and increasing the level ounderstanding o key contemporary issues in society.

Communication has been invaluably acilitated bythe use o the Atrium activism orum, which allowscommitted activists to present, exchange, and buildupon projects ranging rom backyard permaculture,to organization o public events, to advocacy olike-minded organizations such as Beyond ZeroEmissions.

Individual chapters have much to report regardingtheir recent action, achievements, and upcomingevents, so heres a run-down o whats going on.

AdelaideZM SA have been running since the early days o theMovement, and have a strongly established core o

committed activists rom all backgrounds, ages and,even, nationalities.

Successul events o 2011 include an exposition othe third in the series o Zeitgeist lms: Zeitgeist

Moving Forward at the Adelaide Fringe Festival.Tree screenings were presented, culminating onZ-day with a potentially disastrous tech malunction.Tis potential disaster was, however, averted by theimprovisation o committed local activists whostepped up to orm a Q&A panel to inorm andentertain their audience, who did not walk awaydisappointed! Te estival saw a rise in awareness othe Movements aims and ethos, and an increase instrength and numbers o supporters. ZM SA also

held a strong presence at the Mind-Body-Psychicexpo in June, inorming and networking whileholding their own as the only non-prot organizationrepresented at the air, and in the words o oneimpressed attendee the most sensible organizationpresent!

In line with the Zeitgeist Media Festival the SAchapter have opted or a low-key event: an invitation-only screening o Zeitgeist Moving Forward at theIris Cinema on 11th September. Invitations have

been extended to representatives o like-mindedorganizations with mutual goals, such as ACF andGreen Le. Following the screening is a Q&A sessionor the organizations representatives to learn moreabout the Movement and how it applies to theirwork. It is hoped that a level o collaboration can beachieved with some o these organizations or uturesustainability advocacy work.

ZM SAs plans or working in collaboration withlike-minded organizations to ulll shared goalsare realized with upcoming events such as AYCCsReclaim the Grid event on 24th September. TeSouth Australia team intend to demonstrate theirsupport or an emissions-ree uture by taking part

Kari McGregor (SA)

TZM Australia - Nationwide


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Spir it of t he Times Magazine 2011Sept ember Iss uein the event and showing solidarity in what is acrucial moment or South Australias energy uture.

Future plans or ZM SA also include an open tothe public 1-day conerence to which like-mindedorganizations with common sustainability goals willbe invited to collaborate. A thought-provoking line-up o speakers will be enlisted to inorm, critique, and

raise important questions, while a range o practicaland empowering workshops are held in order tooster a sense o community and collaboration in thepursuit o tangible, sustainable change. A date or theevent will be announced in the next issue o Spirit othe times.

BrisbaneTe Brisbane chapter have established a rmschedule o monthly town hall meetings thatconsistently attract a good turnout o committed

volunteers whose ocus is on strengthening ties withlike-minded organizations. A core value promotedby ZM Brisbane is the need to withdraw supportrom the current system rather than directly opposeit; and the chapter are working to nd ways inwhich this can be achieved, the use o open sourcecollaboration being an example.

ZM Brisbane are also hosting a low-key eventin parallel with the Zeitgeist Media Festival. Te

event, which takes place on 10th September, willbe spread over two venues including the BrisbaneSquare Library and Cae Checocho. Te BrisbaneSquare Library three-hour event, taking place in theCommunity Meeting Room, will comprise a mediaplay-list o 10-15 minute clips o ZM-relevant videosand musical perormance interspersed with breakso 5-10 minutes to allow or inormal discussiono each presentation. Attendees are encouraged topick out a avorite clip and bring it to the event on aUSB, bring along a guitar, a song, or a plate o ood

to share, all adding to the collaborative communityavor o the event.

Further upcoming projects scheduled in Queenslandinclude holding weekly stands on the armersmarket in Brisbane, and on the Gold Coast. Tereare also plans or a lecture circuit team that will workto raise awareness about a range o issues pertinentto the Movement.

CanberraZM Canberra is a small chapter in its early stageso activism, and at present has no updates to report.

MelbourneZM Melbourne have been ocusing their eortsmainly on education within the chapter, with talksrom like-minded organizations such as Beyond ZeroEmissions, and practical-ocused talk on Aquaponicsand Permaculture. Screenings o inormative and

highly relevant documentaries such as Psy War andAll watched over by machines o loving grace haverecently been held. Meetings have also recentlybeen initiated in the northern suburb o Roxburgh

Park, and eorts are being made to support ongoingmeetings in Ballarat and Bendigo.

Meetings in the Melbourne chapter are highlystructured, and take our dierent orms. Te lastSunday o every month sees a welcome to newmembers. In this meeting newcomers questionsand personal activism goals are addressed. Actionmeetups occur on the second Sunday o every month,providing a orum or brainstorming ideas or newprojects in addition to discuss and developing those

in progress. Educational meetings are held on eitherthe 2nd or 3rd uesday o every month, and involvesuch inormative talks and documentary screeningsas those mentioned. Impromptu social meetups alsooccur rom time to time in order or members toget involved in community projects and collaboratewith other organizations.

Upcoming projects and activism or the ZMMelbourne include a trip on the 3rd o Septemberto the Magpie house to see a documentary onpermaculture, and connect with the patrons, who arekeen to contribute to the Movement. Te ZeitgeistMelbourne Radio show is also starting in September,and contributions or upcoming episodes will be


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2011Sept ember Iss uesourced rom interested members who are keen tocontribute.

PerthZM Perth is a chapter in its early stages with active

volunteers, but as o yet an unclear path due to theabsence o an organization team at present. Techapter is proceeding with eorts rom committed

members to become a tightly unctioning teamthat hopes to play a key role in the transition to aresource-based economy.

SydneySydney is home to Australias largest and most activeZM chapter, and is lucky enough to sport a tirelessteam o highly committed and enthusiastic activistswho are proud to set an example o a successulgrassroots movement or social change.

Successul ZM Sydney events o 2011 include aZ-day exposition eaturing a ascinating line-upo sustainability-ocused speakers rom grassrootsorganizations, ollowed by an open panel discussionregarding the role o those groups in Australia

and our uture. Te event was rounded o witha presentation and Q&A session on the topic ocreating and sustaining a Resource-Based Economy.

ZM Sydney also maintain a presence in the localenvironmental activism scene, providing support

or grass-roots organizations such as Lock Te Gate.ZM activists rom Sydney were present at the 18thAugust rally at the 5-star venue, the Sotel in theCBD. Te anti-racking cause is one the Movementstaunchly supports, and is in alignment with itssupport or renewable energy solutions provided byBeyond Zero Emissions.

In line with the Zeitgeist Media Festival the ZMSydney chapter are hosting the most ambitiousAustralia-based event, opting or a ull-day estivalon 11th September eaturing live music, comedyand a list o thought-provoking speakers. Presentat the estival are other like-minded organizations,holding stalls and promoting their causes via shortinteractive talks, including Beyond Zero Emissions,AYCC, and A Delicate Balance. It is hoped that a levelo collaboration can be achieved with some o these

organizations or uture sustainability advocacywork.

Weekly activist runs continue to be held in Newtowninvolving attention-grabbing projector screeningso various documentaries and pertinent lm clips,and awareness-raising through direct contact withthe public and handing out inormation yers andree DVD copies o Zeitgeist Moving Forward orAddendum. Tis regular event continues to elicitpositive reactions rom the general public, many o

whom express interest in nding out in what waythey can assist with the Movements aims.

TasmaniaZM asmania is the newest o the Australianchapters to see action, having only recently beenounded, and in the early stages o development.Although a chapter website is not yet up and runningeorts are being made to recruit and retain a solidcore o volunteers who will see the Movements goalsthere through to ruition, and hopeully become akey player in the transition toward a resource-basedeconomy.


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What i I told you that a100% emissions-reeuture was possible?

And that we could get theresoon? Really soon within aboutten years? And that it is actuallypossible to start right now, withexisting technologies? And thatit wouldnt cost us the earth todo it? Would you all o yourchair laughing? Or would yourreaction be to cynically sneer thatitll simply never happen becausethe current system is hell-benton blocking the way to agenuine solution toclimate change anda commitment to aossil-uel ree uture?

Te rst I heard oBeyond Zero Emissions(BZE), a not-or-prot, volunteer runorganization, committedto a 100% carbon-neutraluture or Australia, was at atalk given by one o our ZMSA volunteers in Adelaide, anexpert in the eld o solar energy.

I was excited to discover that notonly is there a group workingtoward what many o us think isone o the most important goalso our time, but that this goal canbe met, with existing technology,in a relatively short time-span approximately ten years, and ata cost o about $8 per householdper week unding that could

easily be sourced rom a numbero sinks such as misallocatedsubsidies to ossil-uel companiesand mining giants. I didnt allo my chair, or sneer cynically. I

chose to investigate urther.

Sci ence, not pr opagandaTe main objective o BZE is tonot just plan or lobby or a carbon-neutral uture as so many otherorganizations do, but to developblueprints or the implementationo technologies that will enableus to rapidly reduce emissionsrom our current precipitous

levels in order to give our societyand global ecosystems a ghting

chance at survival. In partnershipwith the University o MelbourneEnergy Research Institute BZEare undertaking the award-winning Zero Carbon Australia2020 Project, which is in theprocess o compiling plans, withully transparent, realistic, budgetrequirements, or transitioningAustralia to zero emissions within

ten years, using technology that isalready available.

BZE take a holistic approachto achieving their goal; the

organization dely jugglesresearch and transition planningwith education campaigns basedon this research in order thatpeople on all levels o society, romexperts to politicians, rom thosein the corporate world to averagepeople like you and I, may becomeclimate-change literate and upto date with a comprehensiverange o solutions, and not getsidetracked by political andeconomic rhetoric. Tey compel

us to pursue understandingthrough science, not opinioninuenced through vested-interestprocured propaganda. BZE acceptthe ndings o the most currentscience, which shows that

climate change has alreadybeen allowed to escalateto dangerous levels, andthat immediate actionmust be undertaken to

both reduce our levels ogreenhouse gas emissionsto zero, and repair someo the damage that has soar been inicted on ourenvironment shelteredby the excuse o energy

needs in a demand-drivenmarket system.

The u r gency o f t r ans i t ion t o zer oCurrent atmospheric levels o

greenhouse gases are alreadyresulting in a global climatedisaster with an associated annualdeath toll o over 300,000 due to thecatastrophic eects o increasinglyrequent and severe storms,soaring average temperatures, andrising sea levels rendering manypreviously sustainable homelandsuninhabitable, and leading to thenewly encountered phenomenon

o the climate-change reugee, orwhom there is little to no legalstatus. I greenhouse gas levelsare allowed to increase, even at aslowed pace, the prognosis is not

Going Beyond ZeroBeyond Zero Emissions are touted as contemporary climate change heroes, but

who are they, and what are they trying to do?

FEATURED ARTICLE

Kari McGregor (SA)


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2011Sept ember Iss uea positive one: more bushres,more storms, more native-speciesextinctions, and a higher humandeath toll as a result o globalwarming and a changing climate.

Tere is only one viable option. Itis imperative that we reduce ourlevels o atmospheric greenhouse

emissions, and action must beimmediate. Current politicallysae proposals those which donot, heaven orbid, make a dentin prot margins or ossil uelcompanies and mining giants- or between 5-20% emissionsreductions are insufcient inAustralia, the country with, atover 25 tons per person year,regrettably, the highest per capita

carbon emissions in the world yes, weve overtaken the States not an achievement our nationshould be celebrating.

No compr omise zer o or not h ingTe goal o reducing emissionsto zero is now one that is agreedupon as not only imperative,but also possible, by the broaderclimate action movement,climate scientists and many largeenvironmental organizations.Other major environmentalorganizations and lobby groupswhose goals are more modest thanthose o BZE will see atmosphericlevels o greenhouse gasescontinue to rise and consequentlycause more devastation romglobal warming, i their proposalsare implemented, posing a

threat due to appeasement o thepolitical, corporate and publicspheres via poorly-reasonedcompromise. BZE is one othe ew organizations with thecourage to rame compromisewithin scientically realisticparameters rather than aroundpolitically popular strategy. Tis

is not a compromise o integrityor environmental sustainability it is a monetary one to be aced,albeit reluctantly, by various largeplayers in our economic systemwho have no place in a sustainableuture.

Wher e do BZE st and on t he car bon-t ax quest ion?BZE state that they welcome the

governments recent proposal o acarbon price package as a positivestep toward weaning Australia oossil uels. However, BZE, likemany other organizations, areunconvinced o the likely efcacyo this scheme. Tey state anumber o reservations includingconcerns over the shi in emphasisaway rom coal toward gas-redpower as an alternative, which,ar rom being an emissions-reesource o energy, produces theeven more destructive greenhousegas methane. Although politicallyattractive as an option, and aproposal lending itsel to loyrhetoric, the estimated reductionin emissions resulting rom aswitch to gas is insufcient atbest, and will lead, according tothe International Energy Agency,

to warming o 3.5 degrees, 1.5degrees above the 2 degreetarget agreed to at climate talksin Cancun. Potential results osuch a policy include distractionrom the severity o the crisis weare aced with, and even worse,a diversion away rom, not atransition toward, a sustainable

renewable energy uture.

With their eet rmly grounded inscience, and not willing to waste

valuable time on the rhetoric oeconomics, BZE do not share thecondence shown by the Laborgovernment in the likelihoodo a large-scale deploymento renewable energy systemsbrought about by market orces

alone. It seems unlikely that themere imposition o a carbon taxwill inspire the private sector toinvest in renewables as the issueo insufcient unding or theindustry remains, and traction isgained slowly.

So wher e does business f i t in?Instead BZE support the useo Feed-in aris (Fis) toincentivize private investmentin renewables. Fis have had theeect o kick-starting the roll-out o green energy schemesin European countries suchas Spain and Germany, whichhave seen a massive surge in thesuccess o their renewable energypolicies. Tere is no reasonwhy such measures could notbe successully implemented in


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Spir it of t he Times Magazine 2011Sept ember Iss ueAustralia, although at presentthey are not under considerationrom the ederal government,being le up to state governmentsto implement their own plans, ornot, as the case may be.

Analysts at BZE have calculatedthat or only a 1.2 cent per kilowatt

hour increase (lower than thecost o Germanys already highlysuccessul 20-year plan) in thecost o electricity over a 20-yearperiod Feed-inaris can beused to get solarpanels ontoevery rooopin Australia;u l t i m a t e l y

reducing theoverall cost oelectricity in thelong-term. Isufcient support is garnered orthis proposal it is likely that by 2015Australians could have solar panelsinstalled which generate cheaperelectricity than buying ossil uelelectricity at the household orbusiness meter a rooop solarrevolution in the making! Andthis is all complementary to themechanisms or wind power andlarge baseload solar thermal withstorage, thus paving the way or arealistic 100% renewable energyeconomy.

Gr een economy, not gas- economyTe establishment o theAustralian Renewable EnergyAgency (ARENA) and Clean

Energy Finance Corporation(CEFC) are greatly welcomedby Beyond Zero Emissions, butwith a word o caution. It isnecessary to clariy what exactlyconstitutes clean energy.Without such clarication there isa risk o wasting billions o crucialrenewable energy investmentdollars on hybrid gas/solar plants,which will do little, i anything, toaid the zero-emissions transition.An end to the practice o suchhybrid plants has not yet beensuccessully negotiated at apolitical level, despite eorts in

that direction rom the Greens.According to BZE it is imperativethat all solar thermal plants to bebuilt in Australia with supportrom ARENA and the CEFCs $10billion unding pool must includemolten salt thermal storagecongured in a 6-10 hour storagepeaking arrangement or in a ull 15-

17 hour baseload conguration.Tis is the surest way to ensurebaseload power requirements aremet with no compromise to the

environment.Te realclean energyuture will bepowered bytruly renewablewind power,

concentratingsolar thermalwith storage androoop solar

photovoltaic, uncompromised bycheap ossil-gas shortcuts.

Te good news is that undingor renewable energy researchand development is guaranteed.However, we must remain vigilantwhen large sums o money are atstake. It is imperative that ossilgas be excluded rom the deal, andthat the gas industry giants are notallowed to subvert the intendedagenda orthe $1 billiona n n u a lu n s p e c i i e dp o r t i o n .Conventionalgas, and in

particular coalseam gas, is

environmentally destructive tothe tune o 80 to 150 times higherthan levels claimed by industryinsiders. Subverting the renewableenergy agenda to a gas-economyagenda could prove disastrous asthe construction o a single gasplant guarantees in the region o60 years o gas burning, causingbetween 50 and 110 percent o the

emissions o existing coal plantsaccording to new accounting onthe total liecycle o coal seam gas.BZE warn that it is vital that wedo not succumb to the rhetoric oshortcuts. Tere are no shortcuts,only diversions.

So l ar success s t o r iesSpains Gemasolar solar powerplant has recently become therst o its kind to successullyeed an uninterrupted supply oenergy into the grid over a 24-hour period, and this is only thebeginning o its potential. Teutility-scale plant is still very newto commercial operation but isalready demonstrating somethingthe ossil uel lobbyists would

have us believe is impossible: thatconcentrated solar power systems,in conjunction with storagetechnologies, are able to generatean energy supply that is not onlyclean and green, but also stable,continuous, and reliable.

Although BZE admit that powergenerated rom a solar plant isnot yet as cheap as that generatedby coal-red power plants solarplants such as Gemasolar are stillin their inancy, and are currentlyserving the goal o proving thatthe technology is viable. Australia

should not bedeterred bye a r l y - s t a g ecosts. Whenm a k i n gd e c i s i o n sin terms o

cost-beneitbalance it isimportant tokeep in mindboth the

environmental, economic andsocial impacts associated withunsustainable levels o CO2emissions, and the act that thecurrent technologies are alreadyrapidly decreasing in cost, andwill continue to do so as urtherprojects go live.

And bigger and better projects


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2011Sept ember Iss ueare already in the pipeline. Spainis a country that has recognizedthe potential o solar power earlyon, and ermosolar Alcazarhave recently been awardeda government grant or theconstruction o another solarthermal plant in Alcazar de SanJuan, which will provide clean

energy to 70,000 homes in theregion, generate 4,000 local jobs,and put Spain on track to meetingthe objectives o the EU Climate& Energy emissions reductionpackage.

Time f o r Aus t r al ia t o l i ve up t o i t szer o - emiss ions pot en t ialBZE claim that the time has comeor the Australian government to

take serious steps to transormthe energy sector. It makes littlesense or Australia to miss outon a goldenopportunity tocapitalize onwhat are clearlysome o theworlds richestsolar energyresources nowthat solar energywith storagecapacity capableo supplyingb a s e l o a dpower has haddemonstratedsuccess in othercountries.

Te Australiangovernment needs to harness

the support o BZE in preparingthis country or the transitionto a zero-emissions uture,and stop wasting billions otaxpayers dollars on researchand development or inaccuratelynamed clean coal technologiesand coal seam gas, neither owhich are either emissions-reeclean or renewable, and at bestonly serve as a nancial steppingstone or those who are not yetready to make the zero-emissionstransition - the companieswhose days in the sun are surelynumbered.

Australia may be, at present,an economy that relies heavilyon energy generated rom coaland gas; however, it is in abetter position to transition torenewables than countries suchas Spain and Germany, whosetransition schemes are already

well under way. Australia has thebest solar energy resources oany developed country, yet it is aresource which is currently goingto waste while time and money aresquandered on stop-gap measures.Australia also has considerablepotential to harness wind energy,more so than Germany, who areunhesitant in their approach tothis renewable resource, and great

capacity to generate power rombiomass and hydroelectricity.

Te grassroots organization 100%

Renewable Energy report surveyndings that the overwhelmingmajority o Australians supporta move away rom an economicdependence on ossil uels anda transition toward renewableenergy. According to their surveyo over 14,000 Australians 86%support the common-sense goalo a 100% renewable energyuture. It seems the only peoplewho need to wake up to thepromise o a bright renewable-energy powered uture are thosein the driving seat.

So what r emains t o be done?Te ederal government and theopposition need to drop theirgame o political point scoringand their circular rhetoric aimedat soothing rayed ossil-uelindustry nerves, and instead ollowthe lead o countries like Spain andGermany in demonstrating bothpolitical leadership and socialand environmental conscience.We need to prepare Australia ora renewable energy revolution,and do it with the sense ourgency required. Te science isundeniable - major reductions incarbon emissions are a matter oincreasing urgency - reductionsthat would be virtually impossibleto achieve without transitioning

to a carbon-ree energy sector.Beyond Zero Emissions award-

w i n n i n gZero CarbonAustralia 2020Plan paves theway or thist r a n s i t i o n ,demonstratinghow it canbe achievedwithin just adecade, drawingon alreadycommerc ia l ly a v a i l a b l etechnolog ies .BZE are just thecommon-sensesolution wevebeen waiting or.

All inormation sourced rom

Beyond Zero Emissions at:www.beyondzeroemossions.org


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Tis is a proposal regarding the Beyond Zero Emissions renewable energy proposal.

Beyond Zero Emissions is a group o engineers and scientists who have created a proposal to convertAustralias energy supply to 100% renewable energy within 10 years. It is primarily achievable using amixture o wind power and concentrated solar thermal.

More inormation can be ound on their website: http://www.beyondzeroemissions.org/ or by readingtheir proposal summary: http://media.beyondzeroemissions.org/ZCA2020_Stationary_Energy_Synopsis_v1.pd

Te Beyond Zero Emissions cause is very much in line with the Zeitgeist Movements aims and principles interms o rejecting the prot motive, and instead placing the emphasis on sustainability. We will need to enlisttheir help to prevent humanity rom acing environmental and energy crises, whilst they need our help inorder or the proposal to gain traction.

The appr oachIn order to achieve the shared goal o a sustainable zero-emissions uture we are keen to promote andchampion the BZE transition scheme, and have approached BZE with an advocacy proposal which hasreceived a positive response.

In order to help us develop new project ideas such as this advocacy proposal we are working on an output-centric approach (basically planning in reverse), which unctions as ollows:1. Start by writing the press release you would like to see.2. Ten write the FAQ associated with achieving the goals.3. Only aer youve gone through the above steps do you work backwards to nd out what needs to bedone/created, and how, in order to achieve the nal goal.

Te Zeitgeist Movements advocacy o Beyond Zero Emissions will take an output-centric approach,beginning with the ollowing proposed press-release:

Pr ess Rel easeBeyond Zero Emissions, in collaboration with the Australian Zeitgeist Movement have achieved what was

once thought nearly impossible. Te Australian Government, along with many businesses and communities,has agreed to implement the BZE plan to make Australias energy systems 100% renewable by 2023. Over thenext year the government will reduce the subsidies given to the oil, coal and gas industries whilst rampingup investment and production o solar panels and wind turbines, whilst work is being done to prepare theground or the Concentrated Solar Termal power plants.

Beyond Zero Emissions Advocacy ProjectThis is a repostfromtheAustralianAtrium(ProjectManagement) websiteandisaimedatAustralianZMmembers.

Michael Kubler (SA)

Solar Concentrator Array


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FAQs(comprehensiveanswerstomanyofthesequestioncanbefoundwithinarticlesinthisissueofSpiritoftheTimes)1. Who is Beyond Zero Emissions?2. What is the Zeitgeist Movement? Answer: A grass-roots movement which wants to create a better world orhumanity and the environment. Tey have connected the dots between the issues acing humanity and theircauses and have a big picture understanding o what needs to be done to help humanity progress.3. What is Renewable Energy?4. What is Concentrated Solar Termal?5. How has the Zeitgeist Movement helped Beyond Zero Emissions? Answer: Te Zeitgeist Movement hashelped contact political party members, local businesses, scientists and engineers to explain in plain termsthe BZE proposal, and has helped champion the cause. Tey have also helped generate a great deal o mediaattention and provided a great platorm or the BZE proposal and concepts to be spread rom.

Te ollowing are 3 options or the likely progress o the proposal depending on what happens with the Carbon ax:

The Zeit geist Movement s advocacy st r at egy - f ur t her FAQs

Why did we stop the carbon tax in favour of the BZEscheme? Tere was a lot o public dissatisaction over the

ineectiveness o the carbon tax and its excessive

costs. Te carbon tax was not changing the behaviouro businesses, was giving the government a nancialincentive to allow pollution and was hurting tax-payers pockets.At the same time carbon emissions have increased over theyear(s) since the introduction o the tax.

WhatistheeffectoftheBZEproposalonthecarbontax?

Te carbon tax is being changed to a eed-in tari tohelp und the BZE plan and help increase investment

and innovation in renewable energy.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feed-in_tarihttp://www.energymatters.com.au/government-rebates/eedintari.php

WhywastheBZEplanchosenoveracarbontax?

Tere were a variety o proposals on the table. Aerresearching them the carbon tax was deemed to havelesser long term eectiveness in cutting carbon, withthe Beyond Zero Emissions scheme o going to 100%renewable energy within 10 years being the most eective.

Opt ion 3: If car bon t ax is impl ement ed, and t hen r un in par al l el w i t h t he BZE scheme

Opt ion 2: If car bon t ax is impl ement ed, t hen cancel l ed

Opt ion 1: I f no car bon t ax

WhatpriorcollaborationwastherebetweentheZeitgeist

Movement and Beyond Zero Emissions?

BZE held an inormation stall and gave a publicpresentation at the Zeitgeist Media Festival in Sydney on

September 11th, 2011, and repeated their perormanceduring Z-day the ollowing year. Tey also attendedlocal chapter conerences and presentations held in Adelaide,Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.


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Wher e t o f r om her e?All o this brings us to thestage we are currently at. TeZeitgeist Movement have beenin regular communicationwith Beyond Zero Emissions,and both organizations haveexpressed mutual interest in their shared goals, and a willingness to support one another. Beyond Zero

Emissions have conrmed their presence at the Zeitgeist Media Festival in Sydney on September 11th2011, and an inspirational speech will be given by Petra Liverani o BZE regarding the organizations plansand hopes or a zero-emissions uture or Australia. Successul activism is a clear-cut process, and a processinvolves a series o steps. Te rst steps have been taken; the rest will ollow.

HowdidtheZeitgeistMovementgetthepoliticalparties

involved in advocating the BZE plan?

Te ZM members in Australia organized multiple appointmentswith their local members o parliament and senators. During thesedirect conversations they took the AIDAS approach: Attention,Interest, Desire, Action, Satisaction.

Initially the rst emails and meetings unctioned to raise awareness that there

are better alternatives to the Carbon ax, such as BZE, which would likely helpthem get re-elected, are ar better or Australia (and humanity), and based onexisting science and technology which will actually reduce emissions insteado relying on humans making undened behavioural changes.

Te second interactions revolved around the BZE proposal once thepoliticians had been given time to learn more about the BZE proposal, asynopsis o which is provided: http://media.beyondzeroemissions.org/ZCA2020_Stationary_Energy_Synopsis_v1.pd

Te conversation revolved around Q&A and increasing understanding, notlobbying in order to merely persuade.

Te conversations and interactions aerwards ocused on increasing thenetwork o politicians who support the proposal, how the government canhelp, and what bottlenecks needed to be overcome in order or the BZEproposal to be passed by parliament.

External pressure was also exerted by enlisting international ZM chapters toput pressure on Australian governments and businesses, usually in the ormo media attention.

HowdidtheZeitgeistMovementgetlocalbusinesseson

board? Te ZM used a combination o direct conversation with

local businesses as well as a renewable energy supportertick o approval system. Previous green energy tickso approval ocused more on being carbon neutral than onrenewable energy. Computer companies and Internet ServicesProviders were some o the rst to get their primary energy romrenewable energy. Companies with the renewable energy tick oapproval become preerred companies or Zeitgeist Movementsupporters and many other organizations.

HowdidtheEasyGreendefaultchoiceaffectthings?

By changing the deault on the energy signup orm

to be renewable energy a vastly higher percentage oAustralian businesses and homeowners started payingor renewable energy (at only a slight increase in cost).Tis led to energy companies also wanting the BZE plan to beimplemented in order to deal with the demand. o nd out morecheck out http://www.vimeo.com/12601766 and http://www.tacsi.org.au/our-projects/challenge/phase-1-inding-those-bold-ideas/2010-shortlist/easy-green/


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Energy is a act o lie. In act,

energy is lie, and it orms thebackbone o modern civilization.We could not live as we do withoutit, yet we are required to undergodrastic changes in the way that weuse it. Tis has opened up a heateddebate as to what alternatives weare presented with, and whichones to choose. Unortunatelyour media-driven inormation

pipeline characteristicallycompares the extreme viewson any subject good versusevil, black versus white, Holden

versus Ford, Liberal versus Labor,renewables versus oil, and so on.Tis dualistic approach servesonly to divide, and ignores theway things actually occur in thereal world.

Ener gy t r ans i t ionsVarious dierent orms o energyhave been used throughoutcivilization, the major ormso which all all into just threecategories:Carbon-based basically deadplants and animals, all o whichare burned to release their locked-up energy potential.

Examples include wood, coal, oil,gas, and biomass.

Renewables basicallythis is energy producedwithout burning things.Examples includehydro-electric, solarphotovoltaic, solarthermal, wind, wave,

and geothermal.

Atomic basicallyplaying with atoms to

release energy.Examples include atomic ssionand atomic usion (uturetechnology not yet developed).

Generally civilization has

used these energy-producingtechnologies in the ollowingorder: beginning with wood,transitioning through coal, gas,oil, hydro-electric, wind - electric,atomic ssion, to the most recentlydeveloped technologies o solarthermal, solar photovoltaic,geothermal, biomass, wave(currently in active trials), and

atomic usion (uture technologynot yet developed).

Some may disagree with this order,which highlights the act that wehave always had a mix o energytechnologies, and continue to usethem in various proportions over

various times and locations. opit one against the other ignores

an important truth o civilizationsdevelopment - that no singleenergy source has ever totallyreplaced an older source; insteadit becomes another energy option.Tese technologies can becomplex to understand, especiallywith some spanning several uses.Te table below provides a basicexplanation o each energy-

producing technology.

What isn t a power sour ce?Beore we continue on energysources it is important to knowwhat isnt an energy source.Electricity is NO an energy

source; instead it is a way totransport energy. With it we canheat and cool things (kettles,air-conditioners, ridges, ovens,etc.), move things (water pumps,electric vehicles, motors inwashing machines and dishwashers, etc.), and power things(computers, Vs, lights, etc.).

Another technology beingdeveloped is the Hydrogen FuelCell, which can turn hydrogen intoelectricity and heat. Once againthis is NO an energy source; itis a conversion technology. Tehydrogen used in this process isalso NO an energy source; likeelectricity it is just another wayto transport energy. So the next

time someone tells you that thehydrogen economy is the answerto our energy needs just ask themwhere the hydrogen is comingrom!

Ener gy sour ce t r endsAn energy source is oen assessedin terms o: how easy it is to access

its energy density how clean it is

The Energy Transition

Mark Rogers (SA)


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Spir it of t he Times Magazine 2011Sept ember Iss ue what side-eects its use may

have its costoday we are in the midst o agreen revolution, our ocus rmlyon renewable technologies, ullyaware o the unwanted side eectso existing technologies. Tis

ocus on clean however is notnew!

Not so long ago our homeswere heated by wood and coal.Very romantic, but not thatefcient. Even worse, theycreated substantial amounts o airpollution. Pollution that not onlycaused various lung diseases but

contained and spread carcinogens yes that quaint open re cangive you cancer! Not that cancerwas known about in the 1800s, oreven earlier, during Roman times.One thing was certain, however,and that is wherever there waswood and coal heating a city therewas always bad air pollution.So what changed? Over time we

started to use newer technologies: oil heaters (a bit cleaner than

wood/coal) gas heating electric heatingOverall these technologies havehelped make our cities cleaner,but in dierent ways. Oil burnscleaner than wood/coal, but dueto its high comparative costs is notoen seen in Australia these days.

Gas is much cleaner burning thanany o its predecessors,producing very littlesmog, and it is highlyefcient.

Electricity is aninteresting beast,however, due to itscapacity to be used

or other things, not just heating/cooling,ensuring its rapid andwidespread use. It did

something else very clever too itoen moved the pollution ar awayrom the cities. Tis improvedcity air quality to the detrimento hundreds o square kilometresaround and downwind rom thecoal and oil burning power plants.Te power plants did, however,

lead to a reduction in pollution, astheir higher efciency and centralmanagement meant that overallthey produced less pollution thanthe previous use o the wood/coaltechnologies. So as dirty as we seecoal power stations today, theywere once cleaner technologies.

Tr anspor t

Te introduction o oil to transportcleaned up our cities in a dierentway. Ever wondered where severalthousand horses went to the toiletin the middle o town? Answer:they went right where they stood!Besides the obvious odour issuesthere were also hygiene issueswith our our-legged riends.By the 1920s the relative ease o

use, simplied maintenance, andcomort were other actors thatled to the automobile replacinghorse and cart, thus cleaning upour streets in ways civilizationmust surely be grateul or!As civilization has progressedwe have ound more convenientenergy sources used in cleanerand more efcient ways.

Risks of ener gy sour ce use

Using energy has a range o risks,side-aects and hazards. Te tablebelow provides just a glimpse atthe main problems.

A hundred years ago we didntknow about cancers, or thatsmoke rom a burning re could

cause them. Tis is why all thenewer greener technologies aremarked as possibly having someother unknown health or otherrisks. However, it is very likely thatwhatever may be ound will poserisks o ar lesser magnitude thanthe technologies that precededthem.

So wher e t o f r om her e?It is obvious that things mustchange to reduce, or eveneliminate, humanitys dependenceon burning things in order toprovide energy! Sounds primitivedoesnt it? It requires no great leapo comprehension to see that thistransition will provide us with abetter environment in all senses

o the word.So, can renewable energies powerthe world, and i so, how?Te very short answer is aresounding YES! But to be sosure about the answer meansthat one is also sure o how thisis possible...... so lets take a lookat how renewable energies canprovide or our needs.

Base load electricity production


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2011Sept ember Iss ueBase load is a term reerringto the ability o any electricitygeneration and supply systemto meet the general electricitydemands 24 hours a day, all yearround.

In the past renewable energy

technologies have been seenas incapable o meeting Baseload requirements, the typicalargument being the sun dontalways shine and the wind dontalways blow. As simple as thesetruths may be, we now havesystems in place to ensure thatrenewables can provide baseload.

The wind doesnt

always blow: verytrue. But ask yoursel- where are windarms erected? Teanswer may soundobvious - Tey areerected in windyplaces! But that still

doesnt guaranteethat there will bewind, just providesa 70% probability.o compensate orthat it is possible tosimply erect multiple wind arms,spread around the country, sothat i one or two wind arms arequiet then the others will pick upthe slack. Tis means, statistically,that at any one point in time awind arm network would beguaranteed to provide x amounto power this is base load.

The sun doesnt always shine:So true, especially at night! Youmay be saying Solar Photovoltaicswith batteries are the way to go.Unortunately thats costly and

impractical. Having Solar PV onthe roo o your house denitelyhelps to oset your and yourneighbourhoods electrical drain

on the grid. It doesnt, however,address base load - so what does?Solar Termal! Tis technologyhas come a long way rom its earlytesting phases 40 years ago. o seethe answer to the base load solarquestion we must turn our headstoward Spain, who have working

grid-connected power plantsproving that it can be done.

So how does i t wor k?Tere are two structural ways odoing it, but essentially it works byconcentrating the suns rays onto apipe to heat molten salts owingthrough it. Tese molten salts areactually very similar to standard

ertilizer. Te salts are heated rom

about 290c to between 550c and650c. Tese hot molten salts arethen stored in a highly insulatedhot tank where they can stay ormany days with minimal heat loss this is what provides 24 hourenergy availability. o generateelectricity the hot molten salts arepassed through a heat exchangerto boil water and turn an electricalgenerator. Te cooler molten saltsthen get pumped into the coldtank to be heated up by the sunagain the next day.

Tere is also another promisingAustralian Solar Termaltechnology in the pipeline thatshould be able to provide 24/7

power. Further inormationis likely to be available in thenear uture once it is past itsdevelopmental stages.

So just like wind arms,concentrated solar thermalplants could be dispersed across

the nation, in sunny locations,ensuring that i one station ailsto receive sunshine over severaldays the others would pick up theslack.

Now combine wind arms andsolar thermal plants or electricalnetworks and we have the abilityto provide not only base load,

but peak load electricity demandnationwide! So YESit can be done!

The New Tr anspor tSo how do we breakour dependence onoil? Tis will come inour orms: Improved public

transport supportedby new city designs Electric vehiclesthat today canprovide the needs o90% o the motoring

public (more to come in auture article!)

Biouels or long haultransport and air travel

Hydrogen or long haultransport and air travel

All o the energy needed to supplythese can come rom electricityand a urther-expanded nationalwind and solar thermal network.

What about Oil ?Most people dont realize all theuses oil, or example in plastics

and chemicals, have in ourmodern lie. It is highly likelythat the shareholders o all oilcompanies would see the sense in


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Spir it of t he Times Magazine 2011Sept ember Iss ueextricating themselves rom therapidly withering and relativelypoor-prot making capacity oselling bulk quantities o theproduct to just burn, and insteadchannel their attentions towardturning it into higher value itemssuch as plastics. It is thereore

unlikely that renewable energieswill put an end to the oil industry;the industry will simply need totransorm into a higher prot/

value products industry.

What is t he cos t o f power ingAust r al ia w i t h r enewab l es?Believe it or not, about $8 perAustralian household per week!

But dont take our word or it. Popon over to our riends at: www.beyondzeroemissions.org orconrmation!

Tis group o proessionalAustralian electrical engineers,network inrastructure specialists,general engineers, projectmanagers, and cost managers

have already done all the scopingand planning to start. Its now just a matter o willpowerdemonstrated by each Australian,actively supported by enlightenedgovernment policy. And, dare I sayit even a new national publiclyowned system or the good o allAustralians.

Tis Zero Emissions ramework,once executed, will ensure thatour overall power costs willreduce over time, eliminateour dependence on oreignoil, improve the health o ourenvironment, and ensure energystability and the stability o the

jobs that go with constructingand maintaining the system.Sure sounds like a winwin

proposition, or us and the planet.

On 3rd August 2011 the Labour

party held a public orum at

Petersham own Hall in Sydney.

Te event, aimed at gathering

support or their proposed carbon

tax, was touted as an opportunity

or local residents to hear about

the Governments plan to put a

price on carbon, and ask questions

o the minister. Greg Combet,

Minister or Climate Change and

Energy Efciency held the oor,

explaining in the usual politically

appealing rhetoric all o the

positive points o the proposal,

and none o the drawbacks.

Much o the rhetoric o Combets

speech was given to imploringthe audience to look past onyAbbotts dishonest ear campaign,and hear the acts o why takingaction on climate change means

taxing emissions. Emphasiswas given to the ormer pointmore than to the latter, withthe usual opposition-bashingtaking precedence over deliveryo acts. While Abbot-bashing isprobably high on the agenda ora lot o pub-conversation, it ishardly a convincing platorm orthe introduction o a policy that

will likely determine the carbonemissions levels o the worldshighest per capita emitter orsome time to come.

Te plan is to tax the nations toppolluting companies. However,in order or industry not to suer

nancial losses many o thesebusinesses will receive subsidiesto help out, raising concernsabout who is actually payingthe so-called price on pollution.

Public skepticism regarding the

proposed carbon tax has growndue to speculation that it will notbe a genuine tax on pollution atthe source, but simply anotherbusiness cost that will be palmed

o on the public.Such ears were notallayed by MinisterCombets revelation

that governmenttax reorms will be

introduced in order to relieve theimpending burden o cost on lowand middle income Australians,thus cementing the understandingthat polluter pays is not an ethosthat will be upheld by the proposedpolicy. Instead it was made clearthat the burden o cost is a publicone, with a sliding scale o supportbeing introduced in order to oset

the costs paid by the poorest. Itwas made clear, during the Q&Asession, that not everyone in needo support will be covered by it,

A price on pollution reading

beyond the rhetoric

Kari McGregor (SA)


18/24



2011Sept ember Iss ueand that the general public, thosewho do not have the cash to pay,

and who have not contributed

massively to the

overwhelming

cause o carbon

e m i s s i o n s ,

will bear the

brunt o the

cost. Polluting

industries, as

eared, will get

o lightly enough or the price on

pollution rhetoric to be rendered

devoid o any rational meaning.

Te result is clear: money is going

to be moved around the table in a

somewhat circular manner, while

polluting behavior is not directly

aected.

Part o the Labour Partys carbon-

reduction scheme involves the

closure o 2000MWe o coal-red

power stations to be replaced by

clean energy by 2020. However, it

was not specied whether gas will

be considered a clean methodo producing energy or the

purposes o this scheme. Neither

was it claried whether gas-

red power plants will be treated

as a transitional necessity, or

hybridized into gas/solar power

plants, hybrid being a politically

appealing buzz-word that does

nothing to conrm the extent towhich renewable orms o energy

will actually be utilized. When

questions rom the audience were

directed toward obtaining clear

answers regarding plans to extract

gas in nearby localities no such

clarity was provided.

Revelations reached unexpected

heights during the Q&A whena disgruntled audience memberdetermined to be heard (theresalways one at these events!), in

the heat o a passionate exchange,managed to elicit a damningresponse regarding the Labour

Governments true agenda. Te

audience member, who had

worked in the coal mines all

his lie, and whose ather had

lived, worked, and died in the

mines, expressed his outrage

at the proposed slashing o an

industry that is, and has long

been, propping up livelihoods

nationwide. His outrage was

soothed, however, by insistence

rom Minister Combet that the

coal industry is not going to

suer under the proposed carbon

tax as all necessary measures to

keep the industry aoat will betaken. What this inorms us o the

governments plan regarding the

carbon tax is that it has little to do

with directly aecting emissions

levels i it did then the coal

industry would be condemned.

Instead it is apparent that business

aairs take precedence over actual

emissions-reduction plans, whichare, as o yet, unspecied.

One thing that was made clear

during a number o exchanges

was that the Labour Party have, at

present, no plans to go beyond the

carbon tax toward a carbon-ree

uture. alk o an ofcial target or

renewable energy hovered aroundthe 5% mark, paying lip service

to emissions-reduction with no

genuine consideration o the zero

emissions uture that is the key to

stalling the devastating eects o

climate change. Tis is a revealing

p o s i t i o n

or the man

with the role

o Minister

or ClimateC h a n g e

and Energy

E i c i e n c y .

Questions rom Petra Liverani

o Beyond Zero Emissions, and

Lindsay Soutar o 100% Renewable

regarding why the government

see t to stop at such low levels in

the transition to renewable energywere greeted with nothing better

than contempt or their ambition,

and insistence that aiming low is

the only way to achieve anything.

Indicated in this is an agenda

based on stalling true progress in

emissions-reduction.

Matthew Wright, executive

director o Beyond Zero Emissions

made the ollowing pertinent

point in a recent interview with

ABC Radio National: I you are

standing out the ront o a coal

plant today advocating or gas

and then you nd yoursel in ten

years standing outside the power

plant you just advocated to get

installed that would be a prettyembarrassing situation or any

campaigner. One is le wondering

whether the governments plans

regarding climate change will ever

even reach hal-measures.


19/24



Hydraulic fracturing: government sponsored ecological

terrorism

Itisdifculttogetamantounderstandsomething,when

his salary depends on not

understandingit.Upton Sinclai0r

South Australians are taught romthe earliest point in their educationthat they live in the driest state onthe driest continent. Yet politicians

are caught squabbling likechildren over the Murray/Darlingwater, and South Australians arenow paying or a political stuntcalled a de-sal plant that is overbudget, badly designed, badly andwasteully managed and will quiteprobably do more harm to thegul waters than it is worth. Tepreservation o our most valuable

resource, water, is not treated as apolitical priority, yet without it weobviously do not drink, neither dowe eat.

Now we are acing a new threatto our water systems - the gasextraction process, hydraulicracturing, ondly known asracking. Estimates rom theNational Water Commission arethat coal seam gas extractionwill take 300 billion litres odrinkable water rom the GreatArtesian Basin annually. Teracking process is already beingextensively used in NSW andQLD and involves using highpressure to blast a mixture owater, sand and a trade secretcocktail o chemicals down wells

to racture the rocks and opencracks present in the coal seam,releasing the sought-aer gas inthe process. Tis process is also

used in the extractiono shale gas, withsimilar environmentalimplications. Until the

development o thehydraulic racturingtechnique bothCSG and shale gaswere not nancially

viable sources oenergy due to thecosts o pre-existingextraction methods.Beach Petroleum

commenced exploratory drillingor shale gas in the Cooper Basinas o February 2011.

It must be pointed out here thatalthough most companies arecalling this natural gas, which itis, it is not to be conused withthe natural gas running our waterheater at home. It is, in act,Methane, or coal gas, a highly

volatile, asphyxiant, colorless andodorless gas, that when leachedinto the atmosphere is claimedto have twenty times the adverseeects o carbon dioxide.

Pr o bl ems w i t h h yd r a ul i c f r ac t u r i ngA great deal o independentresearch has been conductedworldwide into the adverse eects

o racking, with ndings alarmingenough or any government to callor a moratorium until the saetyo the process is determinedone way or the other. However,such research, although well-documented, is not acceptedby proponents o the rackingprocess, who allow nothing tostand in the way o their pursuit o

prot. Some countries, however,have called or investigation.

As not all o the gas is collectable

at the well head, a proportion o

it simply runs along the ractures,and has been shown to enter thewater table. Cases have beendocumented in which peopleturn on their stock bore and areable to set it alight. Disturbinginstances o the gas bubbling upthrough groundwater have alsobeen observed. It is not knownhow much is leaking into theatmosphere through the soil or atthe well head.

Te mining companies, under theprotection o the trade secretsbanner, reuse to disclose allchemicals used in the rackingprocess. However, samples stolenby brave activists rom wastedams have been analysed, andthe chemicals ound included

carcinogens and a bevy o toxicsubstances, none o which haveapproval or use in Australia inthe mining industry. Chemicallists provided by the miningcompanies showed that, otwenty-three known chemicalsused in racturing uids inAustralia, the National ChemicalNotication and Assessment

Scheme (NICNAS) has assessedonly two or saety.

O the water/chemical mix

Andrew Cooper (SA)


20/24



2011Sept ember Iss uepumped down the extractionwells, sixty percent is recovered.Te rest stays in the ground. Terecovered water is usually pumpedinto huge waste-water dams andle to evaporate or to leach backinto the earth and water table,posing grave

environmentalproblems.

Q u e e n s l a n dr e g u l a t o r shave identiedthat in oneCSG operationapproximately18,500 kg o

additives wereused in eachwell duringthe racturingprocess. With60% recoveredthis leaves7,500 kg o the uids remainingin the seams as a potentialgroundwater contaminant. oadd to these gures, the Nationaloxics Network claims that dueto the scale o the proposedoperations as many as 20,000 to40,000 wells could be drilled inQueenslands Surat and BowenBasins in the next twenty yearsalone. With 40% o the useduids potentially leaching intogroundwater, the terriying risk iseasily calculated.

It has been shown worldwide thatthe cocktail o water and chemicalsle in the ground becomes morepotent aer mixing with the

methane and coal, and has beenshown to contaminate the watertable and groundwater. Imaginethis country with a poisonedDarling River system owinginto the Murray, and a poisoned,depleted, Great Artesian Basin.

Should this happen the reversalwill take hundreds o years.Ten take into account themassive resultant loss o valuableagricultural land.

When ound under primeagricultural land no thoughtis given by either the miningcompanies or the State or FederalGovernments to the consequenceso the destruction o this land asar as uture arming is concerned.Properties in Queensland have

been shown to now be unusableor agriculture, and, in act, nowunsalable. In some instancesaccess roads built on privateland by mining companies areo limits to even the landholder.State law is skewed in avor osuch companies. Te QueenslandMineral Resources Act 1989 states,All minerals.... on or below the

surace o land in Queensland....are the property o the Crown. InNSW once an exploration licenseis approved under the Petroleum

Onshore Act 1991, companieshave the right to explore on privateland, and landholders cannotstop the holders o a mining leasedrilling on their land. Should thelandholder lock the gate themining company can eectively

sue them

or reusingaccess, andunder currentl e g i s l a t i o n ,they will win.

The pol i t ics ofp o l l u t i o nD u r i n gq u e s t i o n

times Springsitting, whenasked aboutregulation inthe coal seamgas industryPM Julia

Gillard replied that any regulation

o the industry was up to the states,

as it is with all mining, and then

went on to remind parliamentthat the industry was going to be

worth billions o dollars to both

the ederal and state governments.

Tis handballing o responsibility

allows the government to appear

as good managers with a budget

showing a surplus, while the

states settle or the relatively

easy compromise o selling out

rather than imposing unwantedregulations on the highly

persuasive mining companies.

When all is revealed it is not the

ederal government that will take

the ack.

In an August 2011 article in

the Adelaide Advertiser Santos

managing director, David Knox,

in announcing a 12% increase in

mid-year underlying net prot

to $236 million, claimed, with


21/24


Spir it of t he Times Magazine 2011Sept ember Iss ueregard to hydraulic racturing

that unortunately, there is a lot

o misinormation in the public

debate - most due to a lack o

understanding, but some being

deliberately pushed by people who

will never support the resources

industry. Santos, according to

Knox, would not allow methane

gas to escape because that was the

product it sold. When asked about

independent scientic opinion,

Mr. Knox said Santos engaged

universities and the CSIRO to

comprehensively research the

aquiers in question, claiming that

we are going to be transparent

about this. Funding or the

research has not, however, been

made transparent, raising the

perennial question o whether it

can be relied

upon to be ree

rom corporate

bias.

It seems that our

environmental

uture is being sold to the mining

industry, which, incidentally,

according to recent Green party

research is over 80% oshore

owned, rendering the arguments

regarding Australian economic

benet misleading at best. Te

ederal government has signed

contracts with South Korea and

several other Asian countries

to supply methane in great

quantities; non-compliance over

quantities supplied or delivery

times costs dearly in the orm

o compensation. Not only is

the environment at risk rom

unregulated corporate practice,

but the government, while

shirking the duty o regulation,

actually appear to be enmeshed in

the whole deal.

So what shoul d be done?Action needs to be taken to stop

the ow o racking beore our

environment suers urther

irreversible damage or the

sake o corporate prots and

politically appealing rhetoric. Ithe case presented seems overly

dramatic you are invited to check

the sources or yoursel: watch

Gasland the movie, visit Lock

the Gate website, research the

archives o Sixty Minutes with

Liz Hayes and Four Corners with

Kerry OBrien on the subject, visit

the National oxics Network, or

just google hydraulic racturing

and make up your own mind.

In closing I oer you the words o

a amous un-named Cree Indian

uttered some 100 years ago:

Te rst thing to understand

about a two party political

system in Australia is that it is

simply a competing o brands

that are attempting to create an

image within the same context;

in other words public politicshas degenerated to the level o

pure marketing. In Australia

politicians provide the ace

o the government while

having a minimal eect on its

unctioning, which is essentiallyperormed by the public service.

It is this supercial brand image

that has become so dangerous as

actual political players are able to

remain hidden rom public view.

Te political debate surrounding

the Carbon tax is a prime example

o a political masquerade in

action. One only needs to stopand think about this or a ew

moments to reason that polluters

will just increase the amount they

Greg Molineux (NSW)


22/24



2011Sept ember Iss uecharge or their services and pass

the added cost down the line with

a markup or additional prots,

while continuing the burning o

ossil uels on a business as usual

basis. Te ALP markets itsel as in

there or the little guys by giving

a ew concessions to households

within a certain income bracket

while the Liberal party panders

to vested business interests and

markets itsel to the ignorant

within society, utilizing weapons

o mass distraction in a war

against boat people and other

nonsense. Despite this oen loud

and vacuous drama being played

out through a compliant mediathe reality remains that nothing

has really been achieved except

the appearance o something

being done. Tis suits the interests

o the political parties who ollow

their scores in the latest Neilson

poll; however at some point

reality is going to intrude and real

world consequences are going to

ensue. Despite all o this windowdressing, the actual political

players, by this I mean those who

have a vested personal interest

in the outcomes, remain hidden

and avoid responsibility or their

actions. One o the rst tasks

or the Movement should

be to identiy individuals

with vested interests aspolitical players in order

or accountability to be

reinserted back into the

system. Tis can be done

simply by ollowing the

money to the source.

O paramount importance in any

political debate is the raming o

an argument. Tis is analogousin importance to choosing the

ground on which you engage your

enemy; and make no mistake,

those standing in the way o zero

emissions are our enemy. From a

uturist perspective it is obvious

that ossil uels are much too

valuable to burn without even

considering the environmental

damage that burning them

causes. We know that oil is the

product o biological material

held under great amounts ocompression or millions o years.

Te political problem appears to

be centered around those who

are aer quick prots on the

re sale o oil or the continued

extraction o minerals rom the

earth. Tese short-sighted aims

are oen acilitated by unrelated

political deal-making, and are at

the heart o political stumblingblocks to zero emissions; as such,

activists directing their energy

toward attaining sustainable

energy should expect to come

under attack rom the mining and

energy sectors.

Perhaps one way that one could

ensure the rapid cessation

o burning could entail

the stockpiling o oil in

much the same way that

other valuable resources

are stockpiled, or, perhaps

better, the use o new

inormation technology

to monitor corporations

and individuals in

opposition to the zero

emissions agenda.

Te most importantoverall political and

media strategy or the

Movement should be

to ensure that we keep

hold o the initiative and

do not allow others with vested

interests to sidetrack and rame

the argument or the purpose

o derailing the momentum o

change. Tis is going to mean

that in order to combat resistance

to transition a united ront must

be maintained. Te danger with

this approach is to allow or the

inclusion o new ideas that may

be valuable yet dangerous or

the unity o the movement. It is

going to be, at times, a difcult

balancing act.


23/24



As the western world gains access

to green solutions demand andscarcity increase.Te result? Teseproducts are oensold at a premium.So the question isasked, Why is whatsgood or you moreexpensive? OneBelgian businessmanbelieves that thesolution is actuallyblue.

Gunter Pauli denes sustainabilityas the capacity to respond tothe needs o all with what wealready have. wo things hit achord when I saw Gunter presenthis Blue Economy: his projectsdirectly engage and benet the

very poorest people o the world,and the projects are actually inaction.

In 1991, Mr Pauli, who was by

this point already a successulbusinessman (championing thebio-detergent industry) andmember o the Club o Rome,ounded the Zero EmissionsResearch Initiative. Te Initiativeis or a global network o creativeentrepreneurs to take on science-based ideas and adapt them tosustainable solutions, and actuallyimplement them.

10 years 100 innovations

100 million jobs 0 emissions.Te strategy the Blue Economyseems to employ is the reusalto recognize by-products aswaste. Gunter demonstrates thisprinciple with his coee projectnamed Coee: Pulp to Protein.When a cup o coee is brewedonly 0.2% o coee beans end up inthe cup (the raction that actuallydissolves in the water). Tat makesor an expensive cup o coeewhen you take away the water.

However, i that 99.7% waste wereused or growing mushroomsor an industry demanding morethan $17billion worth o ungi peryear, with an estimated threeold

increase within ten years and arecommended tenold dietaryincrease or westerners, not tomention the increasing vegetarianmarket, a business acquiring acheap sterile growing medium

can undercut its competitorswith no sacrice inquality. Te coeegrinds provide a pre-sterilized growingmedium, reducingenergy requirementsby 80%. Te grindsalso promoterapid growth anddevelopment oamino acids makingor a more nutritious

mushroom, and naturally, theunused mushrooms becomepremium animal eed.

Another eye-opening project romthe Blue Economy is Maggots,Natures Nurses.Yes, its maggotarming! Te

vomit rom themaggots containsenzymes which,once extracted,are used by theUK companyAdvanced Gel e c h n o l o g i e s ,to provide a wound healingtreatment that works ve timesaster than traditional antibiotics- closing severe wounds in just14 days. Currently the treatmentcosts between $2,000 and $30,000.Once again the Blue Economyhas recognized an opportunity tocreate abundance; each year theaverage European is responsibleor 150kgs o wasted meat - thats60 million tons just in Europeand an estimated 200 millionor the world. In Benin, Arica,Godrey Nzamujo runs a y hotel,where he keeps his ies sae rombirds and well ed on discardedcarcasses. In this way he canproduce one ton o maggots perweek. o harvest the essentialenzymes rom the maggots hesubmerges them in saltwater,which induces the vomiting; thestill live maggots become prizedsh and quail ood. Te maggotsare very high in protein and as a

result the quails eggs etch evenhigher prices in Europe.

So how does this relate to theZeitgeist Movement? Te BlueEconomy demonstrates that we

live in a time o huge wasteulness,and, as a result, huge potential.In monetary terms, the coeeexample could generate an evenbetter return on investment thanMicroso did. In employmentterms, the maggot arming couldgenerate 500,000 jobs worldwide.And these are just the rst twoexamples rom the list o 52. So,or politicians and apologistsalike to justiy envirocide asprotecting Australian jobs or,

with the politically attractive, yetempty catchphrase the healtho the economy, its clear theyremissing a lucrative link in thecycle. We need look no urtherthan our own by-products as

valuable resources.Naturally, these by-products haventtouched anycorporate handsand, as such, cost

very little to use.Could this be areason they are notbeing promoted,utilized, or

developed? Could reedom romwage slavery actually be ound inthe rubbish bin, or in the toilet?Neither o the above examples areinventions; they are innovations -using smarter versions o existingtechnology. Corporate mediawould have you believe that thistype o entrepreneurship is justor the scientists, and you shouldgo back to consuming as muchas you can and working as hardas you need to keep up with yourneighbours consumption-basedsocial status. Its time to recognizethe possibilities and rationalizeour consciousness. HEYREFARMING MAGGOS INHE HIRD WORLD FORGOODNESS SAKE!

Does going green = going broke?

Chris Wilkins (NSW)


24/24

Spir i t of t he Times Magazine 2011Sept ember Iss ue

When Josh Fox nds out hes livingon top o the Saudi Arabia onatural gas, and that a natural gascompany wants to oer him $4750per acre to lease his 19.5 acres oland, potentially leaving him nearly$100,000 better o without havingto get up o his couch, he goes on amission to discover what the catchis, i any, in making natural gas theAmerican energy o the uture.

Gasland, a documentary lmproduced in 2010 by Josh Fox,

launches the viewer into adetective-style adventure touncover the truth about thebusiness known as racking.Fox sets out, with his banjoand gas mask in tow, on anunconventional road-trip,taking him all over Americasgasland, and through some othe most spectacular scenerythe country has to oer, insearch o answers. What

he discovers is a shockingweb o deceit secrets, lies,and dangerous levels ocontamination. Well-waterbubbles and zzes, causesheadaches and stomach upsets,and can even be set on re, directrom the tap! None o this used tohappen beore the days o racking,and these are the lesser complaints.When gas company representativesare invited to sample the water theyclaim is so sae and healthy they

decline. Ofcial investigation isdormant at best.

Gasland is not araid to strip away

propaganda and get to the barebones o the issue, and dares topoint the nger o blame, to name

and shame. Natural gas is toutedby its proponents as being a clean-burning ossil uel one thatdoesnt emit CO2, and is thereoresaer or our environment than coal.However, upon discovery that DickCheneys 2005 energy bill exemptsthe oil and gas industries rom boththe clean water act, and the cleanair act, among many others, Foxembarks upon an investigation intoAmericas uel o the uture, whichis vigorously pursued by none otherthan Cheneys own Halliburton,the company responsible or thedevelopment o the hydraulicracturing process o natural gasextraction.

Details are researched in nedetail and issues reported to thelay person in plain terms thatrequire little processing in orderto comprehend their magnitude.Hydraulic racturing, ondly

reerred to by its proponents andcritics alike as racking, involvesblasting a mixture o water andmore than 500 dierent chemicalsdeep into the ground, creating amini-earthquake which releasesthe gas rom the earth. Millions ogallons o water are used each time

a well is racked, which can be up to18 times. Tis, when all US-basedwells are accounted or, amounts toapproximately 450 trillion gallons

mix o toxins; all in need o saedisposal. Te saety o this disposalis questionable. Dumping o such

waste is a standard externality osuch business. And Fox hastens toremind the viewer that it doesntend there. Hundreds o thousandsmore wells have been proposed.Fox kisses goodbye to the prospecto $100,000 or the lease o his land.Others have already leased theirs,unaware o the consequences.Publicly owned land has also beenleased, on request rom Cheney,to the tune o monetary gain andto the detriment o environmentaland human health. Side-eectso the lucrative-or-some gasextraction listed in the lm includecontaminated groundwater, airpollution, and acid rain, and it iseven revealed that in some areasemissions rom extraction are athigher levels than those producedby all transport; a ar cry rom thetouted benet o natural gas beingemissions-ree.

Te journey Fox takes the viewer on with Gasland is asobering one in which one isle with the revelation that auture economy based on theSaudi Arabia o natural gasis a bleak one or all but thecompanies who stand to makenancial gains. It is amidstsuch desperation that the besto humanitys ghting spirit isdepicted alongside a tireless

search or the truth whosemessage must be relayed to theworld.Te question le at the endis this: is it too late to turn

the tide against racking, or willsustainability and reason prevail?*For more information on Gasland,and on the issues surroundinghydraulic fracturing visit the ofcialwebsite. The documentary can be

viewed or ree from a number ofonline sources.

http://www.gaslandthemovie.com/http :/ /www videoweed es/ i le/

Documentary film review: Gasland

Kari McGregor (SA)

Documents

Spirit of the Times 2011 Issue1