AQ: Australian Quarterly 89.4 – Oct 2018
International Corruption, the social forces of climate change, the end of factory farming and Australia’s recycling crisis…
The old ways are no longer the best way; it’s time to change how we conceptualise a great number of the issues facing us and the world.
All this and more in the new AQ!
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In the new AQ:
Why Australia Needs a Magnitsky Law
The global Magnitsky movement is giving human rights the teeth to bite, rather than gnash, by preventing human rights abusers and corrupt officials from enjoying the fruits of their ill-gotten gains. Yet despite the US, UK and Canada now having comprehensive Magnitsky Acts, Australia has resisted the push to update its ineffective and cumbersome legislation. And by falling behind the curve it potentially creates an incentive for bad actors to keep their money in Australia to avoid sanctions.
Geoffrey Robertson QC and Chris Rummery
Big Challenges, Micro Solutions: Closing the Loop in Australia’s Waste Crisis
Australia is desperately grappling with the waste and recycling problem that has resulted from China’s ban on imports of foreign waste. E-waste, glass and plastics stockpiles are growing as governments and industry scramble for a solution to the mounting crisis.
But already a solution exists that can turn waste into high-value products, utilising Aussie innovation and technology. Sometimes a big problem requires a tiny solution – it’s time for Australia to get smart on recycling technology.
Veena Sahajwalla
Beautiful Weather: The Social Politics of Global Warming
Read the full article for free!
Australia is the lucky country – we don’t get world wars, or revolutions, or famines, or global financial crises – not here at least, not in living memory, not the worst of them. Bad things happen elsewhere in the world, but not really in Australia.
This exceptionalism has contributed to the polarisation of the climate change debate in Australia. Yet with killer heatwaves, winter bushfires and devastating storms becoming the norm, Australian society needs to learn a new way to conceptualise the threat and to normalise action for the future.
David Ritter
Cleaning our hands of dirty factory farming: the future of meat production is almost here
It is clear that the current ways of producing meat and dairy products are unsustainable. 26% of Earth’s habitable land is already used for livestock grazing, and the calorie input to output ratio for meat production is an economist’s nightmare; it takes 9 calories of feed to produce 1 calorie of chicken meat, and that ratio gets higher for pork and beef.
How are we are expected to feed 9.7 billion people by 2050 using these existing methods? And can Australia lead the way in the clean meat revolution?
Bianca Le