Left: Berwick resident Peter Carter (left) with Professor Albert Bartlett.By Jim Mynard
AN expert on sustainability put a New Zealand audience on the spot just before Christmas by asking: Who wants to save the world?
Emeritus Professor Albert Bartlett from Colorado, in the United States, was speaking at the Australian and New Zealand Solar Energy Society Solar 2005 conference in Dunedin.
Having left that hot poser across the Tasman, the professor called in to Australia for a few days on his way back home and stayed in Berwick with Peter and Jean Carter.
Mr Carter said Professor Bartlett had given 1500 lectures based on his concern that society was receiving the wrong message about growth of population and increasing per capita demand on resources.
His strongest message was that population growth and/or growth in the rates of consumption of resources could not be sustained.
Professor Bartlett said it was intellectually dishonest to talk about sustainability without stressing the obvious fact that stabilising population growth was necessary for sustainability.
Mr Carter said the Federal Minister for the Environment, Ian Campbell, and Treasurer Peter Costello insisted growth in Australia was good.
He said the other major threat to our comfort was global warming, which was clearly apparent to all.
“Scientists overwhelmingly believe that burning fossil fuel is responsible for the change, while a small percentage of scientists, often with vested interests, push the line that this is not certain.”
He said Professor Bartlett produced a DVD presentation of a 64minute lecture on the arithmetic of resource depletion, energy and population growth.
The DVD is available from Peter Carter on 9707 2098.
