“Talking about the Weather” 2011 Climate Conference

COMBATING A CHANGING CLIMATE ~ A QUESTION OF DECISION MAKING FOR EVERY INDVIDUAL

A MATTER OF ETHICS

Glenn and Andrew Morris

‘Fig Trees’ ~ Organic Farms

“Talking about the Weather” 2011 Climate Conference

A MATTER OF ETHICS

“A PEOPLE WITHOUT AN AGREED-UPON COMMON BASIS TO THEIR ACTIONS IS

NEITHER A COMMUNITY NOR A NATION”

“A MAN IS ETHICAL ONLY WHEN LIFE, AS SUCH, IS SACRED TO HIM, THAT OF PLANTS AND ANIMALS AS WELL AS THAT OF HIS FELLOW MEN, AND WHEN HE DEVOTES HIMSELF HELPFULLY TO ALL LIFE THAT IS

IN NEED OF HELP” (Schweitzer 1956).

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SETTING A FUTURE DIRECTIVE BY WHICH TO GUIDE DECISIONS and

ACTION

– Understanding the value of a holistic goal.

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CHANGE?

• LEARN FROM NATURE• MANAGE THE ‘WHOLE’• UNDERSTANDING HOW

TO ENHANCE ECOSYSTEM PROCESSES

• SOURCE INFORMATION• STUDY LANDSCAPE

DESIGN• IMPLEMENT PLANNED

GRAZING• BUILD RESILIENCE

“Talking about the Weather” 2011 Climate ConferenceUNDERSTANDING THE DYNAMIC RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SOIL HUMUS, WATER STORAGE AND THE HYDROLOGICAL CYCLE

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The dynamic humus/water storage relationship and the hydrological cycle.

Where there is no humus there is no capacity to absorb and store rainfall, breaking the all important water cycle.

Water running off the landscape after only 30mm rain.

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Increasing water supplies and soil carbon by

enhancing humus and water storage in the soil.

• One part of humus stores four parts of water

• A one percent increase in humus on 1ha will store an additional 160 000 litres of water per hectare.

• A 25mm rainfall event over 1 ha will deliver

250 000 litres of water per hectare

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“Talking about the Weather” 2011 Climate Conference

THE NEED FOR A NATIONAL AWARENESS CAMPAIGN TO HELP

CONSUMERS AND FARMERS COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE

‘CONSUMER CHOICE’ AND THE ASSOCIATED MARKET SIGNALS THAT ARE GENERATED ARE

POSSIBLY ONE OF THE GREATEST AGENTS FOR BRINGING ABOUT A POSITIVE REGENERATION OF

LAND AND WATER RESOURCES IN AUSTRALIA.

FOR THE BETTERMENT OF THE WHOLE COMMUNITY WE NEED TO HELP PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THE

VALUE OF ECOSYSTEM PROCESSES AND THE FACT THAT IF THEY VALUE A FUTURE WITH A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT THEY NEED TO CONNECT THAT VALUE WITH THEIR PURCHASING DECISIONS.