Yarra Climate Action Now!

The Climate Emergency Network has initiated a project to model economy-wide solutions to produce a 10 year transition to a safe climate economy across Australia. The project is called Plan Z.E.D. Zero Emissions Decade .

The aim is to provide detail of paths that can lead to rapidly achieving a safe climate economy, within a decade. Climate Emergency Network believes it will be valuable for people and organisations to know about such paths:

• to influence how people think about climate change policy and action.
• so that a real transformation of the Australian economy can be undertaken urgently .

The project will be undertaken in four stages.

Stage 1
The first stage will be undertake by the group Beyond Zero Emissions (BZE) who have been working for well over a year on a near-zero emissions/10 year transition plan for Victoria. BZE will extend their current Victorian to cover the whole of Australia. It will also the establishment of the infrastructure to enable Australia to make a fully effective contribution to the draw down of all the excess CO2 in the air as past as possible.

Specifically, the Plan will outline:

• A staged execution plan for Australia to transition to a zero carbon economy by 2020 (utilising only currently proven, viable and costed technologies & practices)
• The costs and benefits of Australia pursuing a zero carbon target
• The necessary policy options and resources to achieve a zero carbon economy that will produce the best possible outcome for Australia
• The sectoral and regional implications of Australia progressing to a zero carbon economy
• The economic and strategic opportunities in Australia taking a lead role within the global context of carbon constraint

The Plan will consist of individual reports into the following sectors of the Australian economy:

• Stationary Energy
• Transport
• Land Use (Agriculture, forestry & carbon drawdown)
• Housing and Commercial Buildings
• Industrial Processes
• Export Revenue
  

The Plan will be developed with the intention of protecting and enhancing the key economic, social and environmental parameters of Australian society including; maintaining a high standard of living; security of energy and food supply; access to mobility; and comfort and well being for all.

Stage 1 is due to be completed by early 2009.

Stage 2:
In stage 2 the Climate Emergency Network will conduct an assessment of the BZE Australia-wide plan so that CEN can have an accurate view about how robust and viable the plan is for achieving a safe climate economy within a decade period. This component of the overall project would try to elicit information on the strengths and weaknesses of the BZE plan, and would be designed to draw out potential solutions to identified problems.

Stage 3
Climate Emergency Network will take the analysis further by numerically modelling the energy and financial implications for the structure of the economy.

Stage 4
Climate Emergency Network will actively use the results.

Funding
While most of the work already done and being offered by BZE is by energetic and committed volunteers, we do need some funds to employ people for project management, and to support administration, report writing and research. This will also mean the project can be done both more efficiently and in the shortest time frame possible.

Funds are being provided through fundraising efforts of CEN. To date a single generous donation of about $25,000 has given a big impetus to starting Stage 1. As well local fundraising in Melbourne has provided about $3500.

However more funding is needed for the completion of stage one in the shortest time possible and to be certain of employing highly regarded project evaluation experts in stage 2 and skilled modellers for stage 3.

We would therefore ask you to seriously consider making a contribution to the success of this project by digging deeply. Remember all sizes of donations are valuable – as they were in Obama’s campaign in the US! We estimate we will need at least $100,000.

Make your Donation: Click here.

OR

Make a donation and give it as a Xmas Gift: Click here.

• Give a Xmas Gift to your family or friends by making a donation to Plan Z.E.D..
• We will send you a special Climate Emergency Network –
  All We Want for Xmas …..is a Sustainable Future Xmas card with a record of your donation - to give as a gift.
• Don’t forget to fill in all the details for mailing or emailing the gift Xmas card recording your donation to Plan Z.E.D.
  

All We Want for Xmas …..is a Sustainable Future