climate change, forestry and water

I recently attended a forum at Melbourne High to hear Brian Walters SC and Bob Brown speak about ‘Embracing Change: Why We Need Leadership on the Climate Crisis’.


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Brian covered the many elements that make up a speech on climate change including water, forests, petrol, extreme weather, sea level rise and the distinct lack of leadership in responding to climate change.

Some of the key points in relation to forestry included:
*Over the last 30 years one third of Melbourne’s water catchments have been logged.
*According to Melbourne Water and CSIRO studies, we lose at least 30 gigalitres each year from these catchments because of logging – equivalent to the water used by 150,000 Melbourne households.
*It would cost the State Government $3.9 million to buy out all the timber licenses but instead the government are spending $3 billion on a desalination plant.
*Our forests have a vital role to play, both in holding carbon in the trees themselves.
*Native forest logging, unlike plantations, is a massive contributor to greenhouse gases. Sir Nicholas Stern found that ending the logging and burning of the world’s old growth forests would reduce global greenhouse emissions by more than the combined emissions of all the world’s transport systems.
*Australian National University studies under Professor Brendan Mackey have found that the Mountain Ash forests of Victoria and Tasmania store up to 2000 tonnes of carbon per hectare.
*When we log a hectare of forest, most of the carbon is lost in the subsequent regeneration burn, but the paper and cardboard products soon deteriorate, releasing most of the balance of the carbon within a space of a few years.
*Replanting with 80 year logging cycles only restores a fraction of the original carbon.
*Over time, we lose about 1000 tonnes of carbon into the atmosphere every time a hectare of mature forest is logged.
*In Victoria, logging in 2004-5 contributed over 10 million tonnes Victoria’s greenhouse gas emissions – that’s equivalent to 2.4 million cars – nearly all of Melbourne’s domestic fleet.

If you’d like a copy of Brian’s speech click here

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It was great to be able to chat with Bob about
issues in the Yarra Ranges.

This continues to reinforce the position of Yarra Ranges Council to oppose logging in Melbourne’s water catchments. Not to mention the fourteen other metropolitan municipalities who have joined with Yarra Ranges to oppose logging in the catchments.

Yarra Ranges plays a key role in the liveability of Melbourne, we are the lungs of Melbourne and the water supply of Melbourne too. It is irresponsible to continue to jeopardise and squander these natural assets.

Will your grandchildren thank you or blame you for the part you have played in action on climate change?