Ann Wason Moore: Climate change bringing hotter summers to the Gold Coast

Breaking news: it’s hot. But, as Ann Wason Moore writes, why do so many remain oblivious to the reason behind our summers getting even hotter?

Breaking news: it’s hot.

Who would have thought? Especially seeing as it’s summertime in Australia?

Look, it’s easy to make fun of those who state the bleeding obvious when it comes to temperatures topping out, but why do so many remain oblivious when it comes to the reason behind it?

Heatwave headlines might seem superfluous when that’s literally what this season was made for … but the truth is there is something truly newsworthy behind the sensationalism.

Climate change.

Yes, it’s summer … but not as we once knew it.

Almost 60 towns and cities across Australia recorded their hottest November day since records began last month, new data has revealed.

A further 40 locations saw their hottest ever November night, leading weather watcher Professor David Holmes from Monash University to observe that “climate change is happening while we sleep”.

Further, Prof Holmes says La Nina, which was declared in October and usually brings cooler weather, may have been ‘overwhelmed’ by global warming.

The Bureau of Meteorology has already confirmed that, overall, last month was the hottest November on record in Australia, and there are indications that it could also be soon declared the hottest November worldwide following unseasonal warmth in the continental US and parts of Latin America and Europe as well as Australia.

Climate deniers may insist it’s all a hoax, but why then are industries from finance to insurance to development and town planning banking on it being a part of the future?

Speaking to the Planning Institute of Australia’s Queensland state manager Matt Collins, he said climate change was one of the biggest factors for planners to consider for the future.

And, unfortunately, the Gold Coast is especially vulnerable to this danger.

Rising sea levels and increased risk of bushfires in our Hinterland mean that almost every suburb could be at risk.

Bushfire season is upon us. (Photo by SAEED KHAN / AFP)

Data compiled by the company XDI for the firm Climate Risk suggests one in six Gold Coast properties could become uninsurable due to an increased frequency of natural disasters

It projects that more than half of the current addresses in the suburbs of Palm Beach, Broadbeach Waters, and Bundall may face unaffordable insurance premiums by 2100, with potential increases of up to 55.5 per cent by 2050.

“The Gold Coast is an extremely desirable place to live but it’s that desirability that’s actually the source of some of its weakness,” chief executive of XDI Cross Dependency Initiative Rohan Hamden told the ABC late last year.

“It’s relatively low-lying land that’s exposed to both sea level rise and riverine flooding to a significant degree.

“You’ve got that hinterland running along the back where there’s the interaction of that urban fringe with the potential for forest fire.”

Let’s be brutally honest. Dealing with the prospect of climate change is a pain in the arse.

But it’s a pain worth going through for a huge gain.

Building more sustainable, less wasteful industries is surely something we should be investing in, regardless of whether or not the world is on fire.

To me, it seems a no-brainer to simply conduct ourselves as though climate change is real (which it is), whether you believe it or not.

Certainly that’s what some of our biggest business players are already doing.

Just recently, ANZ announced it would halt lending to its largest customers unless the businesses could prove carbon transition plans by next year.

ANZ’s new emissions policies aim to support efforts to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050, with significant steps to be taken by the 2021 financial year to shape the bank’s operations until 2030.

The bank will also “only finance the construction of new large-scale office buildings if they are highly energy efficient”, and by next year, will disclose “more robust and credible metrics” so the impact of its lending to the power generation and commercial property industries is clearer.

ANZ’s policies were sharply criticised by the Nationals, who said the moves would cripple farmers. But the question has to be asked: which hurts more – climate change policies or climate change itself?

Between a rock and a hard place, surely it’s better to opt for the short-term pain that may at least give farmers land to farm in the future.

And even for a suburban parent like myself, it’s clear that it’s time to take action. As someone who struggles to remember to recycle, the sad fact is that my heart is willing but too often my hands are just too damn lazy.

But I’m not too damn stupid to realise that this is a real problem and we all need to be part of the solution.

And if that means I need to pay more for products or be taxed more heavily, fine. Ultimately, it’s an investment in my children’s future.

Surely that should be bleedingly obvious to all.

LAST WEEK:

WHERE is the line between community activism and vigilantism?

Because down in Miami, it seems it’s becoming dangerously blurred.

There is no doubt that crime is an issue across the Coast, just as with any other growing city, but is it really out of control?

I live on the border of Miami and Mermaid and while there have been isolated incidents of crime in our street and in our neighbourhood, perhaps even an increase, I still feel safe.

But judging by posts on a local residents social media page, apparently I’m lucky to still be alive, let alone to remain in possession of my vehicle and home contents.

Look, I truly salute community members who care enough about their neighbourhood to devote their name, reputation and time into raising awareness on issues they care about.

And yes, that even includes my favourite anti-light rail activist Karen Rowles. We may not agree on much, but she has put her heart and soul into something she believes in and I can’t argue with that. Besides, I’m quite flattered that someone made a meme out of me.

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Youth crime generic

But the Miami Residents Group page, which began as a means to engage local politicians in acknowledging criminal activity in the area and pushing for more police, is morphing into something slightly uncomfortable.

Just one week ago this was posted by an administrator:

“It feels that this weekend has been the last straw for many residents: car and property theft, robberies and teenage street scum attacking people on the way home from a night out, using our streets as their personal dodgem cars area, it’s out of control!

“I have been contacted by many residents wanting to start their own community based safety team. To patrol the streets at night to chase off the teenage goons causing so much trouble.

“I warned the Premier and Police Minister this would happen if they didn’t step in, I still haven’t received an answer to the numerous emails I have sent them on your behalf.

“Before neighbours start taking matters into their own hands, there is a neighbourhood watch meeting at the Nobby Beach Surf Club. Everyone that has been affected by crime, or if you live in the area need to attend and vent your frustration and demand action, before this gets completely out of hand.”

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Alas, that neighbourhood watch meeting did not cover the Miami area west of the Gold Coast Highway, and so these members gathered outside instead and discussed their path forward.

Again, good for them for being committed to a cause and I understand their frustration… but it does make me worry when people talk about going above or around the law.

And I’m not the only one.

The focus on crime is creating an atmosphere of fear that seems at odds with my own lived experience in this suburb.

Indeed, crime statistics show that when it comes to assaults at least, this region of the Coast has far fewer incidents than other areas. With similar populations, the state electorates of Bonney and Southport have almost double the number of assaults than the electorate of Mermaid Beach.

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The problem is that these social media pages is that they create a skewed version of reality.

And while many members of the Miami page remain dedicated to the idea of patrolling their own streets, just as many have had enough of the over-the-top approach.

“I’m terribly sorry but this page has gotten WAY out of control,” reads one comment.

“Try living in any other city or Gold Coast suburb where they really have a problem with crime - this is nothing. Sadly this is what social media has made people become. A kneejerk society that can’t handle anything anymore.

“I love Miami. I feel safe in Miami. It has amazing residents and these “crime” posts are becoming embarrassing to say the least.

“This isn’t a utopia, it’s just life. You have people stabbed and murdered in places like London just for looking at them, and people are posting about a bloody stolen fairy house. This is a VERY peaceful, normal beachside suburb. And don’t forget, Miami and Palm Beach were both the absolute s***holes of the Gold Coast 15 years ago. A million times better than it was. So just chill the hell out.”

The problem is that these social media pages - and Miami is just one example - create a skewed version of reality. By dedicating themselves to the reporting of criminal activity large and small, they manufacture the perspective that this is, in fact, the only activity occurring.

And while the members may not ever actually storm the streets with cricket bats, the inference that this could and would be a necessary undertaking only encourages others to take similar measures.

As a parent of two teen-ish children, I don’t want to live in a community that seems them as the enemy.

While I can safely say that I want my neighbours to be engaged … I do not want them enraged. That’s crossing the line.