Malcolm Knox’s call for a national cabinet to deal with climate change is highly commendable (“It’s worse than any war or pandemic, so why are our leaders ignoring it?” , January 4). What he is actually asking for is for politicians to cease from engaging in the toxic left v right divide that plagues our politics on every level. Under the new strategy, our elected representatives could use their imaginations, listen to expert advice and come up with solutions that are in the best interests of our country and all Australians. I suggest that we extend the remit of the national cabinet to cover the areas of defence, foreign policy, health, education, social welfare, housing and then if they were really courageous, they could look at our taxation system. Phil Peak, Dubbo
Thank you, Malcolm Knox, for expressing so well both the catastrophe that is climate change and a response that holds some promise. Way back when Rudd and Turnbull were leading their parties, I had hoped for a bipartisan approach to this crisis. We need to see everything through the lens of dealing with the most dangerous threat humanity has faced, but first we have to accept that working together is our only hope. Louise Pinson, Coniston
Climate activists demonstrate in front of State Parliament House.Credit: James Alcock
Hear, hear, Malcolm Knox, it is indeed a “disaster our leaders can’t ignore”. I can only hope your “dream” becomes reality and, for once, our politicians look at the reality in which we now find ourselves and beyond, into an unlivable future on this planet. You’re spot on – it matters not, at this stage, the absolute cause of our impending climate disaster, rather that we take whatever action possible to mitigate it. Kathryn Lai, Heathcote
Malcolm Knox makes a desperate plea to government to address climate change. The only drawback to his impassioned conclusions is the fact that there are more pesky airline flights burning fossil fuel every week than there are people in Australia, yet these flights go on unabated. Oh, that’s right, everyone must be able to fly or the world economy would crash. A rather large hole appearing in his argument remains unaddressed: and people wonder why there are sceptics, while many EVs are still being powered by coal from the grid, and without even having to mention China or India. David Sayers, Gwandalan
Doubts about Dutton
Today I must be in a bad mood. I write to oppose the number of anti-Dutton commentaries appearing on the letters pages – almost relentlessly. As a Herald contributor, I am at a loss to explain the unbalanced publication of letters when there must be a similar number of letters in favour. Or are all readers “Albo” supporters? Please publish this letter to see if we can elicit some favourable comment to balance out all the usual negative responses. John Huxley, Waitara
Nick Bryant is pretty comprehensive in his analysis, but Peter Dutton has a cruel anti-Islam immigration policy to implement if he is elected (“Sink or swim. Why victory is a huge leap for Albanese and Dutton”, January 4). His policies and behaviours have always been consistent with contempt, rather than seeing dignity in First Nations people, their symbols, or in those who need asylum from oppression and violence. His party’s lack of compassion was explicit in robo-debt. And then there is the problem with women. None of that has changed. Anne Eagar, Epping
Medical misogyny
Congratulations to the Herald on the continuing investigations and articles on the medical mistreatment of women (“How medical misogyny works”, January 4). So much of it rings true with my own experience. I come from the generation in which single women who took the pill were objects of suspicion. Many doctors would not prescribe it to the unmarried. Much of women’s perception of their own bodies is generational. I remember my late grandmother referring to menstruation – in hushed tones – as being “unwell”. The late Professor Derek Llewellyn Jones taught us as students to advise pregnant women not to listen to their mothers for advice as it would by definition be at least 20 years out of date. He was way ahead of his time. Although much progress has been made, I hope the Herald will continue shedding light on what has been for many years a dark corner of medical practice. Stephanie Edwards, Leichhardt
The disgusting way women have been treated by the medical profession down through the ages is slowly giving way to the contributions of brilliant women to medical science, starting with Marie Curie (“A trailblazing woman in her element”, January 4). Andrew Macintosh, Cromer
Real cost of nuclear
It is extraordinary that the Coalition would put a proposal to the Australian people that gets seriously deficient the more we learn about it (“The $80 billion-plus buried cost in Dutton’s nuclear power plan”, January 4). The Coalition has relied on the charity of Frontier Economics to do the costings on the plan, which ditches all our work on solar panels, wind farms and other alternative sources of electricity, as well as forcing our failing coal-burning generators to extend their lives. Frontier Economics, having done the work pro bono, declines to release details of the assumptions used in the modelling, or provide any further information. Having realised what a deep rabbit hole the whole exercise has become, why would it do more work on it gratis? The billions spent by the British government on decommissioning old nuclear sites, when they have experience doing this from the 1940s and we have none, is a real wake-up call the Coalition has disregarded. Bill Johnstone, Blackheath
Global warming means climate-related outages at nuclear plants are already more than eight times as common as they were in the 1990s.Credit: iStock
The revelation that all nuclear power plants built in Britain since the 1940s have to be decontaminated after they are closed, costing a total of $260 billion, needs to be taken seriously. This is for the whole-of-life cycle from the first shovel-load to the last glow of nuclear contamination. All at taxpayers’ expense. Not only will Dutton’s “nuclear option” be prohibitively expensive to build, operate and run, but all 14 of them will have to be decontaminated after they are shut down, as they were in Britain. What is never mentioned is that Britain dumps 80 per cent of its radioactive waste into the sea. The decontamination process takes more than a century and as pointed out by experts, the cost of decontamination is much the same as building nuclear plants. Dutton’s pernicious porkies include claims that his is the cheapest and best option for “decarbonising”. In your dreams, Pete. John MacKay, Asquith
The true test of the Coalition’s commitment to nuclear power will come if they retain this commitment after losing the next election, particularly when faced with three more years of continuing renewable energy rollouts. Anyone taking bets? Alan Phillips, Mosman
The idea that nuclear power plants will still be operating reliably beyond 2100 is laughable. In fact, nuclear stations work best in cool climates, like Canada’s, and global warming means that around the planet, their climate-related outages are already more than eight times as common as they were in the 1990s. At one point in the summer of 2022, France’s nuclear stations were only generating about 40 per cent of capacity for about a month. Frankly, planning for nuclear energy as the world warms is ridiculous. Lesley Walker, Northcote
The $80 billion cost of decommissioning nuclear power plants is the tip of the iceberg of the Coalition’s deception. Not that there will be any icebergs around by the time one lightbulb is powered by nuclear energy. Without bipartisan support, the Coalition’s plan is doomed to failure, which means we’ll probably just keep doing what we’ve been doing. That may be the Coalition’s actual plan. Neil Reckord, Gordon
True value of GPs
GPs running high-quality practices aim to be masters of all trades and a Jack of none. This involves lots of ongoing study, correct use of resources and referring on or sending to hospital only when necessary (“Labor looking at making GP visits cheaper”, January 2). Deciding when to refer on in itself is highly skilled – don’t do it unnecessarily and clog the system, but know your limits – and it takes expertise. There is no easy fix out there in pharmacies or urgent care; they help, but it’s niche. People ending up in emergency can be the result of fragmented, low-quality care, and not just acute illness or injury. General practitioners don’t see a lot of simple rashes and sore throats; we see chronic disease, mental health disasters, diagnostic dilemmas and complex patients with multiple diagnoses. This is not simple, and our clinics are not cheap to run. Ultimately, we save the health system more than any other specialty – worth investing in, you’d think. Low-income earners need support, but some cost for everyone else is becoming more necessary as government funding is light years behind. Lucy France, Cronulla
Mummy wars
Is the news really so slow at the start of the new year that you decided to lay bait for the “mummy wars” (“So glad I ignored birthing guilt trip”, January 4). It is good that the author feels comfortable with the choices she made, but framing mothers who resist interventions or who birth at home as being persuaded by influencers is demeaning. Women have been sharing their experience and knowledge of birth with each other for all of human history – mothers influencing other mothers has begun only recently to be seen as negative in modern Western cultures. Rather than scoffing at women’s use of social media to discuss birth, surely we would be better off asking why so many mothers have become disconnected from having these conversations with each other in person. Nicole Jameson, Figtree
Peter Wright of Scotland in action during the World Darts Championship.Credit: Getty Images
Darts on point
We can assume that the proposal to include darts in the next Olympics was made in jest (“Treble yell: Compelling, electrifying and skilful, darts a bullseye for the Olympics”, January 4). The prospect of a trio of beer-bellied, middle-aged men with pierced ears and fluoro mohawks gracing the podium is too grotesque to contemplate. But the notion of darts at the Olympics is made almost plausible by the extent to which the modern Games have strayed from their “faster, higher, stronger” origins. Central to the Olympic ideal is the principle of athletic competition decided on a measurable basis. Laying aside the lamentable experiment with breaking, there were at least six other disciplines in Paris 2024 that relied on subjective judging (gymnastics, diving, surfing, trampoline, skateboarding and BMX freestyle). Another two required skill but no real athletic ability (shooting, archery), and don’t get me started on equestrian events, where the poor horse does most of the work. At least in darts the score is unarguably mathematical. David Salter, Hunters Hill
Out of gas
It is marvellous that cattle are being bred to produce less methane (“Her name is Hilda, and she’s here to save the planet”, January 3). However, the statement that methane is 84 times more warming than CO2 and “only persists in the atmosphere for 20 years” muddles some numbers. Methane is indeed about 84 times worse than CO2 – when considered over 20 years. Its lifespan is seven to 12 years, after which it becomes CO2 and H20. Averaging methane’s warming over two decades seriously reduces its truly enormous impact. Bill Gates says methane is actually 200 times worse than CO2. Methane is responsible for 30 per cent of current warming, and it is a very worthy target for climate action. Its short lifespan means any reductions will bring almost immediate benefits. Mark Wills, Northcote
Beach safety
Although PFAS is a deadly “forever chemical” that will not degrade in the environment, state and federal authorities have apparently passed the buck and gone to ground (“This Sydney beach is closed over cancer-causing chemicals. Many people are missing the signs”, January 4). After 17 years, it’s past time that state and federal ministers for health and environment put public safety first and foremost. When I last checked, they all belonged to the same party, so surely a resolution shouldn’t be that difficult. James Deli, Oatley
Lives over guns
The Herald’s North America correspondent, Farrah Tomazin, has covered six mass shootings in her career as a journalist and writes a moving piece calling for change amid the astounding statistic of 499 mass shootings in 2024 alone (“I’ve covered six US mass shootings. They have one thing in common”, January 4). Anyone who wants to make America great (again) would be well-advised to commit to some measure of gun reform. Determination and courage are required if the lives of innocent people matter. Lorraine Hickey, Green Point
Mourners outside Apalachee High School in the US state of Georgia after a mass shooting last year.Credit: AP
Pointless SCG cash splash
Aside from the disgusting amount of gambling advertising here at the SCG, there are ads for the NBN. It’s a government monopoly, why on earth is it spending money on ads? Andrew Taubman, Queens Park,
It’s ironic that it’s the Australian cricket team that initiated sledging. Now it’s their turn to experience it. Let’s not get too holier than thou. This is like a Shakespearean play, coming full circle. Ashley Berry, Toolijooa
Colour co-ordinated
Jauntily walking a small, white dog in the inner west and feeling an accepted part of its fabric can be a matter of perspective (Letters, January 4). Pressed for time one afternoon, I asked my then 15-year-old son to take our little white poodle Princess for a walk around Balmain. He had just dyed his naturally curly hair platinum blond, and protested: “Jeez Mum! A white poodle, and this hair – do you want me to get beaten up?” Alicia Dawson, Balmain
Haute cuisine
Ironic. The Duchess of Sussex couldn’t stand the heat so she decided to get into the kitchen (“Meghan Markle stars in her own Netflix series”, January 3). Now Meghan’s changing the world one homegrown, hand-picked, roasted heirloom tomato at a time. Viv Munter, Pennant Hills
Letter of the year
Well done, Robyn Dalziell, for winning Letter of the Year. Always a shining light on the letters page. No worthier recipient could be imagined. Alynn Pratt, Grenfell
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