Thursday, 3 July 2008

NEWS FROM THE DIRECTOR

The Centre for Integrated Human Studies was officially established in February this year. We aim to offer undergraduate courses in Integrated Human Studies as soon as possible – we believe that the decision makers of the future need a broad tertiary education to grasp the complexities of the problems facing human beings in the 21st century and formulate socially equitable, environmentally sustainable solutions. An interdisciplinary approach is essential.

Our first semester seminar series is an example of this approach: for each topic we have tried to include an academic or theoretical overview, and both policy and experiential perspectives, with speakers from different disciplines. The “Seeking Wisdom” series was a great success, with between 50 and 100 people at each seminar hearing stimulating presentations and participating in thoughtful discussion. We thank all of our speakers and attendees for their contributions.

We welcome Dr Carmen Lawrence to our Policy and Management Committee. Carmen spoke atm our “Eternal/infernal economic growth” seminar in May and now joins me and Professors Dennis Haskell, Colin MacLeod, Graeme Martin, and Don Markwell in guiding the development of the Centre.

Our next seminar series is being planned now and will be equally thought-provoking; we have some excellent speakers lined up. I suggest you put the dates in your diary now! The first is on 6 August and there are five more at fortnightly intervals. Everyone is welcome – we are pleased that we are getting a good mix of students, staff, and members of the public attending and creating a great atmosphere of learning, discussion and concern for the future. Your comments are also welcome: feel free to contact us (email Karen on [email protected] ) with your thoughts or suggestions about the seminars or the Centre.

Associate Professor Neville Bruce
Director, Centre for Integrated Human Studies

ANNOUNCING OUR NEXT SERIES – HUMAN WELLBEING
Our second semester seminar series is on Human Wellbeing and promises to stimulate lively discussion. All seminars will be held at 5.30 pm in Seminar room 1.81 in the School of Anatomy and Human Biology at the University of Western Australia (two buildings south of Shenton House on the Matilda Bay side of the campus – further directions below). The first one will be an overview of the topic:

Seminar 1, 6 August 08 : Human wellbeing
What constitutes human wellbeing? How do we measure it? The first world has conquered major diseases, hunger and many threats, but for the first time, human lifespan in affluent countries is becoming shorter and stress levels and working hours appear to be increasing. For individuals, what does it mean to be healthy in mind, body and spirit?

Speakers include Professors Colin MacLeod (on mind) and Dennis Haskell (on spirit and the importance of cultural expression).

The full program of the Human Wellbeing series will be available soon on our website at www.ihs.uwa.edu.au/seminars/integrated_human_studies .

COMING TO OUR SEMINARS

The School of Anatomy and Human Biology is two doors south of Shenton House on the eastern (Matilda Bay) side of the UWA campus. There is a map on our website. Bus routes Nos 23, 98, 102 and 107 pass UWA on Stirling Highway; after alighting you will enjoy a five-minute stroll through the campus. Go past the Guild Village and turn left immediately after the Psychology building. You’ll be facing the School of Anatomy and Human Biology and will see the lift to the left of the glass doors. The seminar room is on the first floor opposite the lift door.
If you are driving, we are closest to Hackett Entry No 2 to Carpark No 4. Free parking is
available after 5 pm in ticket parking areas in UWA, and after 6pm in Council ticket parking areas. When you arrive at the School, go to the rear and use the lift to come to the first floor.

NOTES FROM THE LAST SEMINAR, GREENING AUSTRALIA

Dr Harry Cohen began his talk with the observation that he feared, and believed many in the audience also feared, that babies born now will not be as well off as we have been. For twenty years he has been a member of Sustainable Population Australia
( https://www.population.org.au ), an organisation that promotes the limiting of Australia’s population both through reduction of immigration and the reduction of the numbers of children that Australian residents have. He emphasised that the organisation’s eminent patrons woul not countenance a racist immigration policy.
Harry described some of the ecological issues facing Western Australia: problems with changing rainfall patterns, declining fish stocks, and salinisation of arable land (30% of the wheatbelt is now saline). Dr Mary White, a palaeobotanist and patron of SPA, predicts that in 25 years we may not be able to grow enough grain to feed ourselves, let alone export it.

Government policies regarding immigration and the giving of “baby bonus” grants do not seem to recognise the effects of increasing population size on the existing population (for example, the pressure on housing prices due to increased demand) and on the land (the strain on available resources). He suggested that importing workers to keep the boom going created a vicious cycle of demand for services that led to a call for even more workers. The idea that that we need immigration to service an aging population is a myth; he pointed to Japan and Italy as examples of countries that were managing even with decreasing and aging populations. It was also a myth
that a city needed to grow to achieve cultural vibrancy: Vienna, a culturally rich city, has a population of about one million.

Harry concluded with a quote from Sir David Attenborough: “Maybe it is time that instead of controlling the environment for the benefit of the population, we should control the population to ensure the survival of the environment.”
He also said our consumerist society was a driver of ecological disaster, and that “trying to save the environment on the basis of capitalism is like trying to deal with an overflowing bath by mopping up the water without turning off the tap”.

Giz Watson MLC spoke about the political realities of addressing environmental issues. We live in a tiny habitable corner of a drying continent; Australia has seen a 20% reduction in rainfall since the 1970s; we are losing species faster than ever before; yet we still pursue unsustainable agricultural practices, and the overheated economy and our resource exploitation make us the world’s greatest per capita contributors of greenhouse gases. The recent gas crisis was an example of our reliance on certain structures and paradigms, and an indication of the urgency with which we need to act. Giz pointed out that the argument about the theory of global warming had been effectively won, and that even the local press now accepted it. Politicians should definitely endeavour to lead and there was an opportunity cost to not acting now. It also behoved politicians and electors to be well informed and to beware of “greenwashing”. For example, changing to energy efficient light bulbs was a good thing, but we need to realise that it makes a very minor difference to total greenhouse gas emissions.

Green party numbers in parliament are low but their presence can raise the level of debate and force the major parties to confront issues. Also, they can introduce legislation regarding, for example, mandatory energy saving targets and public transport.

The challenge for politicians was to “alert [people] but not alarm” them. People could easily feel “paralysed” and could indulge in reckless behaviour, thinking that it was already too late to change environmental outcomes. Solutions must be “doable” and take social fairness into account. The current mode of government tended to the laissez-faire, but there were various levers that could be applied, including regulations, subsidies, and legislation. Giz finally suggested a paradigm shift was needed wherein society might: challenge growth economics and the right to consume; transform its understanding of the obligation to be responsible for its own health and the health of the planet; seek community solutions rather than relying on experts; no longer view the environment as simply a resource for our use; cooperate rather than compete, including in the political arena; and empower individuals.

Jonathon Thwaites picked up on Harry Cohen’s point about the overflowing bathtub and took it further by asking “What is the pressure in the pipe?” and suggesting that human beings are driven by fear and greed in a free market economy, the legacy of Milton Friedman.

Understanding human behaviour is key to being able to control the pressure in the pipe and turn off the tap. Jonathon explained that the diesel engine was invented by Rudolf Diesel and shown at the World’s Fair in Paris in 1900, running on peanut oil. Vegetable oil was a common early fuel until the petroleum industry was established. Jonathon showed pictures of his home biofuel plant that produces diesel fuel from waste oil from his local fish and chip shop. The fuel he can produce for 23 cents per litre attracts a federal government tax of 38 cents per litre – a huge disincentive for
production, among many others including onerous reporting requirements. Jonathon went on to list the reasons for producing biofuels, compared with other fuels, and named a number of plants his company had installed that demonstrated simplicity of technology, use of renewable resources (sometimes waste products like tallow and grapeseed), local placement, small scale and local ownership.

He also addressed the issue of crops being grown in order to produce biodiesel replacing food crops. Although in a global economy where multinational corporations purchase crops for fuel production, this is difficult to prevent, in the local scenario, a farmer would only need to devote 40 hectares to oil production in order to produce fuel to run the rest of a 10,000-hectare farm for food production. In the absence of other fuels, this is the only option. Jonathon runs the Perth Sun Fair at UWA each April so if you are interested in alternative energy technologies, look out for it in 2009. https://www.perthsunfair.com.au/

Questions and comments included:
How do we change conversation into action?
Can permaculture be integrated into monoculture to improve outcomes?
How can the average person put pressure on governments to act?
What is the limit of population in Australia?

LOST PROPERTY
Someone left a black zip-up document folder in the seminar room on June 25. If you can identify it as yours, please contact Karen (email details below) to arrange to have it returned.


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If you have missed previous newsletters containing summaries of the seminar presentations, you can see them on our web site on the News and Events page.


ABOUT THE CENTRE FOR INTEGRATED HUMAN STUDIES
You can find out more about the Centre and about IHS at our web site . If you are interested in enrolling in postgraduate courses in IHS, please contact the Director, A/Prof Neville Bruce on 6488 3292 or email [email protected].


TELL US WHAT YOU THINK
Please feel free to give us your comments, thoughts or suggestions for
future seminar topics by emailing Karen on [email protected].

Media references

Karen Connolly
Integrated Human Studies
School of Anatomy and Human Biology
The University of Western Australia
35 Stirling Highway Crawley WA 6009
+61 08 6488 3647 email: [email protected]
In the office on Mondays and Thursdays - for urgent enquiries please phone Neville Bruce on +61 08 6488 3292

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