The Green Retrofitting Model In Australia
Similarly to the United States, the first world country of Australia witnessed a steady increase in temperatures since 1910 which led to extreme consequences. Now Australia’s National Science Agency estimates the country experiences a 20% reduction in rainfall per year and is at risk for increased frequency of extreme weather events such as the 2019–2020 wildfires which burned 46,050,750 acres.
However, unlike the American government, Australia has a well established green retrofitting plan which benefits their country greatly. In both federal and state governments the approach to supporting green retrofitting is hands off and simply sets the framework for the process. By choosing this tactic the Australian government encourages green retrofitting rather than mandating it, making it more likely that all types of individuals will take up the practice. Had Australia put strict legislation in place, it could have become a target for political agendas and been easily removed once the next Prime Minister took office as the climate crisis is also highly politicized in Australia. Furthermore harsh laws could have alienated companies and citizens who either do not agree with the practice of green retrofitting or are currently unable to practice it in their lives for one reason or another.
As it stands, the federal and state grants, subsidies, rebates, and advisory services in place promote green retrofitting of all sites, with historical structures being highly encouraged. Local governments around the country mostly follow the example set by their federal counterparts, however the main difference is that local governments do much more community outreach and education on the topic of green retrofitting (Dowling et al., 2014). The local government of Sydney specifically is teaching its communities about green retrofitting by retrofitting public spaces, such as libraries, and sites with neighborhood based significance like the historical site of the Sydney Crago Flour Mill which began operating in 1897. By seeing the process of green retrofitting happening in their local communities, citizens of Australia are more likely to support similar efforts in the future at which point the state and federal resources are available to help them along.
Through combining local, state, and federal resources that provide a structure for green retrofitting Australia is able to promote the practice and reap the environmental benefits without facing the political controversy that is prevalent in the United States. For this reason I believe American policy makers should follow the Australian example to further implement green retrofitting into American society.
