Pic of the Day: Farmer sends solar message to G20

Is it an extraterrestrial crop circle?

Not quite. Queensland farmer Rob McCreath is behind this large and seemingly effective way to appeal to world leaders attending the G20 meeting to go solar. He created this extra large natural billboard after Brisbane Airport rejected a billboard calling for climate change to be put on the G20 agenda.

‘Farmers are at the pointy end of climate change,” he says. “Last year was our hottest on record, this one’s shaping up to be even worse, and we’ve got a raging drought over a vast area. In spite of the overwhelming scientific evidence, our idiotic politicians are hooked on coal and gas, which is the cause of the problem.

‘Australia is one of the richest per capita countries in the world, with the highest per capita greenhouse gas emissions in the developed world. We have huge reserves of sunshine, so making use of it is simply a matter of common sense. Our government’s reluctance to do so is an international embarrassment.

‘Unlike coal, solar power really is good for humanity, because it can provide the clean energy needed to lift people out of poverty across the world, without stuffing up the climate even more.’

McCreath added ‘I hope Angela Merkel shirtfronts Tony Abbott and asks him, if Germany can go solar then why on earth can’t Australia?’

Meanwhile, Australian Motoring Enthusiasts Party Senator Ricky Muir has pledged his support for an unadulterated 41,000 gigawatt hour Renewable Energy Target (RET) for Australia.

“The renewable energy industry is helping create jobs, grow local businesses and training opportunities for workers across Victoria and Australia,” Senator Muir said in a statement released Thursday.

“(It) creates opportunities for Australian industry and also helps families to manage their cost of living by installing rooftop solar, which is why I am pleased to support the full 41,000 gigawatt hour Target.”

According to renewables group Solar Citizens – who met with Senator Muir in Melbourne on Wednesday to discuss the future of the Target, deliver a Solar Briefer report and a letter from the Solar Industry signed by 470 solar businesses across Australia – Ricky Muir’s home state of Victoria is home to 214,348 households that have gone solar, saving $120 million on their power bills.

The Senator’s commitment to the full 20 per cent by 2020 target comes after last week’s news that a fifth political operative had quit his staff amid internal party unrest.

Melbourne-based electoral staffer Fiona Marshall quit last Friday, just one week after Senator Muir lost his second chief-of-staff, Sarah Mennie.