Keith Altmann, Woodend
Ray Brindle’s response to Messrs Clarke, Scoles et al is unduly gentle at a time when the most recent science, based on actual events as well as improved understanding of the risks of climate change, is that life on Earth now faces an existential risk.
Some say why should Australia act as we are only about 1.3% of the emissions – the acceptance of that weak argument is that it would justify a third of the world’s countries taking no action.
Given our ranking as the worst performing country in the world on climate action (UN) with Canberra backsliding against all the evidence, our government inaction is tacitly supporting a policy of climate suicide for our collective future.
Australia still has some great institutions like CSIRO who can show us an evidence-based approach to securing our future. Unfortunately it will require much better leadership than Canberra is providing and it must be evidence and not ideologically based.
If the world cannot take the action required, even 2 degree C will be catastrophic for Australia and 3-4 degree C for civilisation. We require a transition plan to a sustainable future – as of now both our climate inaction and our extractive economic system are unsuitable and need urgent change. If not, in the next few years mankind may be on a path to massive die-out.
