Australia's Climate Change Immunity

When I first moved to Australia, I was expecting to see solar panels on every house. I expected my apartment building to use the sun as fuel. It made perfect sense. The sun is a cheap source of renewable energy. Exporting Australia’s coal reserves to other countries without much sun made sense, too. With many of the world’s pristine, untouched natural wonders, I assumed that people cared about the environment. At least more than Americans, surely! 

That proved to be wrong, though. I was shocked to learn that my electricity is fuelled by coal, for example, and that dredging was approved for right near the Great Barrier Reef! The final straw of my patience was hearing that even President Obama told Australia that we are not immune to climate change. So why don't we care if we get sick?

Maybe it is easier to start with why other countries care. Take Norway for example. Norway is a nation with high wages and a high cost of living, but the average citizen’s daily spending is dramatically lower than that of Australia. Norwegians still pack a cold lunch for work every day, and boast an expansive public transport system. They also recycle everything, and have categorised their rubbish bins accordingly. However, climate change is having its effect. Floods are increasing with fervour each year, and the increasing temperatures are having consequences on agriculture, property, and the wild animals. They actually believe climate change affects them. Their government believes it, too, and encourages its citizens to be environmentally conscious through incentives and initiatives such as tax-free electric cars.

Here in Australia, the exact same thing is happening: Climate change is affecting our agriculture, our properties, and our fragile ecosystem. The only difference is we refuse to believe it. We just don’t care enough. Sure, bananas have gone up in price, but we can still afford it, so who cares? We don’t blink an eye getting paper cups for our coffee every day or $15 on take away lunch. Each child and adult alike own their own iPod, in addition to their laptop and smartphone. Electric cars are virtually non-existent. And tell me, why does a child need name brand clothes and every toy ever made? When was the last time they even went camping in the bush?

What is hard to understand is that we should care more than any other nation. Is it the mere pressure to care that we simply do not? When I take out my rubbish every week, I see empty recycle bins and full waste ones. Cardboard is neighbours with banana peels and wine bottles. All in one bin. How does that work well for the environment, exactly?

Recent efforts by world leaders have inspired some, and embarrassed others. Mostly, though, we will continue to not care. We still do not believe it affects us enough to care. As a nation, we have completely lost connection with our environment.

Ah, but who cares?