By SAM GILLIES, ANDREW MESSENGER, AND LUCY RASH
Now that the Carbon Tax has been repealed and those oppressive cost of living raises have finally been eased, we can all expect a boom in the economy as our wallets overflow with the cash saved from axing this big new tax on everything. So why not spend it on some music to help commemorate this new direction in environmental policy? Despite the fact that the Carbon Tax never had the wrecking ball effect on our economy Mr Abbott predicted, our leaders have decided to take on the proud mantle of ‘first country to take a backwards step in our handling of climate change’. Huzzah!
In honour of this bold step backwards, here’s another CutCommon playlist to really set the mood.
13. In The Air Tonight by Phil Collins
12. Air on the G String by J.S. Bach
11. You Take My Breath Away by Berlin
10. Breathe by The Prodigy
9. Breathe In The Air by Pink Floyd
A salute to the air purity that could have been, as Australia continues to be among one of the highest contributors of greenhouse gasses in the world per capita.
8. Disco Inferno (Burn Baby Burn) by The Trammps
7. Set Fire To The Rain by Adele
6. Firestarter by The Prodigy
October 2013’s bush fires were some of the worst on record as Australia experienced the driest 12 months EVER. Our bushfire season was recently lengthened to reflect these developments, and now runs from October until March. As climate change worsens we can expect to see these types of extreme weather events get more frequent. One can only assume that our politicians are okay with this, which inspires this upbeat, fire-themed section of the playlist. Those twisted firestarters…
5. Electricity by Something For Kate
4. The Coal Miner Song by Jimmy Joe Lee
3. Fuel by Metallica
2. Gold Digger by Kanye West
A salute to some of our highest polluting industries! Energy companies understandably topped the list, but we didn’t want those the other industries to feel left out.
1. Against Pollution by The Mountain Goats
A rousing finish to round out our Carbon Tax playlist:
When the last days come we shall see visions
More vivid than sunsets, brighter than stars
We will recognize each other
And see ourselves, for the first time, the way we really are
Jonathan Darnielle’s apocalyptic predictions are a timely warning for us all. Do we want to wait until our last days to realise we should have taken action against what leading scientists are convinced is an increasingly perilous, global situation?
I suppose only time (and politics) will tell.
Image via Wikimedia Commons: Stefan Wernli
