Garry Baverstock AM
Welcome to this initial posting on the Government section. We have waited for a while since publishing the new front end of www.solar-e.com to ensure that we select an issue that will have the greatest impact on saving our planet and have the greatest opportunity for the application of solar energy in the 21st century.
The major issues for government in the developed world is not housing our people anymore, it is the responsible management of how they are housed. Are we pandering to their egos or are we delivering responsible housing solutions that lead to true prosperity and happiness?
The large issue worldwide is population growth, when it comes to consumption of the world’s resources and the destruction of natural habitats. The fact that modern economies are based largely in continual population growth to maintain their economic growth is a major problem in itself. If one looks at it logically it is a self-defeating strategy.
It stands to reason that this approach will come to an end. Are we going to wait until we have destroyed the natural world beyond repair and thus create mass extinctions of human populations, or are we going to look ahead and take intelligent steps to make this a truly sustainable world for life on earth by striking the right balance?
Affordability
The following paper by colleague Lin Lutton explores this growing dilemma of affordability in Australian cities that is a Western world and a growing global, issue. It aptly looks at rates of consumption and the sizing of our housing. This paper uses the boomtown of Perth as an example in Australia. The same is true for Melbourne and Sydney, which are starting to show serious issues of traffic congestion and lack of affordability.
Because of growing sizes of homes and smaller populations living in them we are developing patterns of living that are increasingly unaffordable and definitely unsustainable. Lin Lutton clearly shows we are heading the wrong way in his paper, ‘Affordability Through Modesty‘. He looks at ways how we may in the future start to undo the damage of wasteful patterns of develop to increase density and affordability. The use of passive solar principles are also the step forward in making these homes of the future proofed against the Climate Change problem.
Housing in the West
Linley Lutton has shown what those who have been aware of the challenges for mankind in this 21st in addressing Climate Change have known for a long time. Our large builders have been simply pandering to increasing expectations of the populace and bullying governments through their powerful lobby groups, to let them provide for this growing materialistic market, unhindered by the public interest. In the end nobody wins.
Ecology
In 1987 the WCED a UN commission on the environment and the impact of the built environment first termed the concept of true sustainability. The word has since been corrupted because early used of the world included the word ecological, ecologically sustainable development. This obviously did not suit the large businesses with large government influence so conveniently the concept of a balance with nature was dropped. It is now time for this ethical position to be restored. Lin Lutton’s short discussion on this issue and placing human beings as part and parcel of our ecology is worth noting (‘The Human Ecological Perspective’)
Project Homes Control
I have had extensive experience with the housing industry over numerous decades and understand how they operate their business. They are powerful and wealthy entities that basically turn over large sums of money and make a solid financial return that amounts to large profits. It is now a money business more than an ethical building business.
In his talk Project Homes Big House-Small House, Linley Lutton describes the issues in explicit terms and offers solutions as an urban designer and planner. His talk ‘Project Homes Big House – Small House’ looks at successful models of the past and how we have destroyed the whole notion of public interest through unbridled consumption.
Revolution Needed
If we are to have any chance of addressing Climate Change we must realize that it is not sufficient to place a number of solar panels on the roof or hook up to a nuclear reactor. Over 50% of GHGs in the modern economies are produced from our built environments and associated infrastructure. We simply will not solve the potential catastrophic future resulting from Climate Change if we do to change our culture of use of building. Over half of the built environment is housing and therefore the choice of the way we live, the patterns of development of our housing and our rates of consumption will determine greatly our future existence on this planet.
In his paper, ‘Viva la revolution’, Lin Lutton expresses exactly what informed professionals have known for decades. We need to change the way our society thinks in relation to our housing.
This early posting on the governance section goes to the hub of the issue. As we adapt our built environment to be more economic, result in less consumption of materials we need to integrate solar design principles and utilize solar and low energy technologies to complete the picture.
In so doing we should over time reduce our dependence on carbon polluting energy sources by over 50% which will enable the transition to new clean energy sources far more economically viable by reducing the load they will need to service.
Governments need to “walk and chew gum” at the same time. If incapable of doing this, the human race will be in dire straits by the year 2050. The public interest needs to precede the interest of any industry lobby group.
From hereon solar-e will be building a solid case of how governments can act more responsibly to create a sustainable world for our children and grand children. We will be focusing or very specific uses from hereon. This article services as a starting point for debate and building practical knowledge and workable solutions.
Refer to a number of papers and papers authored by Lin Lutton:
http://www.solartec.iinet.net.au/solare/answers/architects.htm
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