What can be done in a country like Australia to face up to environmental problems?

We can capture rainwater, heat our water using the sun, make electricity from wind and tap the huge geothermal reserves, but although these changes make a difference, it is our conspicuous consumption that outstrips the resources of this planet which we need to change if we want to have clean air, an ozone layer and biodiversity including reefs. Is legislation the answer, subsidies or can we make it cool to be conservative in consumption (bicycle cool - V8 pathetic)|||Australia's main problem is its economic dependency on the coal industry. It can't embark on a major effort to convert to alternative power sources like hot rocks because so many jobs are tied to coal. It's a huge problem.|||Hot rocks hey! An unlimited resource just like fossil fuels.


I do enough impact studies to earn $25000 for a couple. If I earned more I would spend it or I would save it and the fund would spend it.


Convincing the population that they should ignore the rich and infamous and try to earn less and aspire to a lower standard of living? Go to an election with that one; works for the Greens.|||Unfortunately some will never get the idea that we need to take care of our planet. We need to start with the kids. Someone needs to push the idea of all different kinds of conservation and recycling ect. through programs for kids. From kinder garden to college. If the old folks aren't doing it now the younger generation needs to know how to do it.