Fiery debate over 2019 season

I’m not sure if I read the same Chris Kenny article that John Bell read (“Climate change faithful are disregarding factual data”, Letters, 20/1). The one I read (“Out of the bushfires and into the land management plans”, 18/1) used no valid science to support the author’s claim that this bushfire season is unexceptional. Kenny says the number of lives lost is evidence that we have had worse bushfires before. All this proves is that those fires were concentrated in more densely populated and risky areas.

While further analysis needs to be done, most fire experts and scientists would seem to be supporting the view that this bushfire season is unprecedented in recorded history. As evidence they are citing the sheer scale (at over 10 million hectares and counting), the number of simultaneous fires, the amount of rainforest destroyed and the unique fire behaviour being observed. It is also no coincidence that 2019 was just listed as Australia’s hottest year on record by the Bureau of Meteorology.

T. Daly, Kingsford, NSW

Does this ring a bell? The 1994 eastern seaboard bushfires in NSW between August 1993 and January 1994 were widespread, from Bega to the Queensland border and inland as far as Bathurst. The fires destroyed 225 homes, of which 101 were in the Sydney suburbs of Como, Jannali and around Lane Cove National Park.

The fires were called the worst in 200 years by Phil Koperberg, NSW Commissioner of Bush Fire Services. Prime Minister Paul Keating was on holiday in January 1994 when these Sydney suburbs were burning (acting PM Brian Howe visited the bushfire sites). The only difference, then and now, was that climate change was not mentioned.

Rob Sinclair, Mosman, NSW

The mounting hysteria that the bushfires are caused by CO2-induced climate change, from the Greens and sections of the media, highlight their regular ideological failures. The Greens were proponents of climate change activism, but voted down Kevin Rudd’s climate actions.

The Greens fought Adani, but held no concern for the Queenslanders without jobs or the Indian people who were suffering from health issues due to wood-fire smoke; the same people who wanted reliable electricity to lift their life standard.

L. Smith, Kenmore, Qld.

Adam Bandt needs to take a few deep breaths and then organise himself a quick trip to China. After he’s observed the completely profligate use of energy and its consequent emissions over there, he should obtain some sense of perspective as to where Australia sits. If, on his return, the Greens MP still believes Scott Morrison can in any meaningful way alter the global environment, without trashing Australia’s economy and tens of thousands of jobs with it, then I’ve got a bridge to sell him.

Vincent O’Brien, North Adelaide, SA

Marianne Cannon (Letters, 21/1) has it the wrong way round in claiming that “climate change is well known as a risk multiplier for extreme weather”. Climate is an average of weather statistics over a long period, conventionally 30 years, so it is weather that contributes to climate and climate change. On this basis, a month of extreme weather contributes 1/360th to climate — not much of a multiplier.

Geoff Dunsford, Lindfield, NSW

Much has been written about taking action on climate without being specific about the means. If CO2 is the culprit we are already meeting our obligations but it pales into insignificance if countries like China and India fail to play their part in reducing emissions. Our current approach is meaningful without turning our economy upside down and ultimately relying on candle power.

Leo Vilensky, Castle Cove, NSW

The biggest national security risk Australia faces is our dependence on fuel from the Middle East. If this supply line were to be cut we would be in big trouble. We need electric cars, electric trucks and electric tractors urgently — preferably powered by renewable energy.

These machines exist, they just need to be promoted. In his hopeful book Superpower, Ross Garnaut has outlined Australia’s great low-carbon opportunity. Even if climate change will not move our governments to speed up the transition to 100 per cent renewable power, surely our vulnerability to disruption of our oil supply should persuade them.

Bob Elliston, Bruny Island, Tas