It appears the politics if climate change is evolving

A well balanced commentary by Ross Fitzgerald (“The great climate change juggling act”, 7/2). The last paragraph outlined the path Scott Morrison will have to tread carefully.

It’s interesting to contrast this with the call from so many, including industry leaders — who for what can only be described as some form of moral self-adulation — keep chanting the demand that we must do more on climate change.

With Australia contributing just 1.3 per cent of human emissions — forget the per capita rubbish, it’s irrelevant — we must balance the economic and social impact of moving to a sensible and greener energy regime, while committing to and achieving our international commitments such as Paris and putting them in place as effectively as possible.

Fitzgerald puts Tony Abbott’s position succinctly. It’s a pity that people, again for purposes of self or political interest, fail to accept that it was under Abbott that Australia prepared for the Paris accord. He then got bounced for being a climate denier.

The PM is heading down the right path. It’s in the best interests of our nation for the states to get on board and develop and deliver a national strategy on managing hotter, longer summers and all things it affects.

Ian C. Murray, Cremorne Point, NSW

Ross Fitzgerald does well to highlight the politics of human-induced climate change faced by Scott Morrison has changed. Voters expect that real conservatives take out insurance against risks. They are asking why didn’t the Coalition government have in place contingency plans based on the science and mathematical modelling of climate change?

This is all the more so since, over the coronavirus outbreak, Morrison and his ministers say they have contingency plans in place based on the modelling of a coronavirus epidemic.

Peter Smith, Lake Illawarra, NSW

Ross Fitzgerald’s summation of the climate change debate is masterful. He addresses all the issues without rancour or vindictiveness.

But there is one aspect he did not cover which I think is important. In his recent work on the issue, Gregory Wrightstone makes the valid point that warm periods have been marked by social, technical and health advancement together with greater crop yields and overall greater vegetation yield — a direct result of higher levels of carbon dioxide.

In the meantime, cold periods have been marked by shorter human life spans, higher incidence of disease, decline in social and technical advancement and lower crop yields.

There is no doubt that the human race advances during warm periods and the logic behind the fear campaign generated by the activists is not based on the historic evidence.

Simon Gamble, Noosa Heads, Qld

Ross Fitzgerald gave a balanced view of the politics of climate change but reports claiming 97 per cent of scientists believe in anthropogenic global warming are irrelevant because they are based on selective sampling and poorly worded surveys. Science is based on observation, not belief.

Climate is more responsive to variations in energy from the sun, the Earth’s orbit, the amount of cloud and water vapour. Even millions of years ago when levels of CO2 were thousands of times higher, the Earth’s temperature fluctuated between ice ages and warm periods similar to the present. This is not surprising as measurements show increases in CO2 will cause minuscule warming and some cooling.

Ian Wilson, Chapel Hill, Qld

John Durie raises a number of questions (“Corporates to step up action on climate”, 7/2).

Is Mirvac no longer going to use steel, concrete, glass, aluminium in its buildings? All of these materials cannot be made without huge CO2 emissions. Perhaps it’s possible to build apartments out of recycled timber, wooden nails and canvas windows.

Are CEOs going to ditch their company cars and get on a train, tram or bike? Are they going to turn off their airconditioning at home? Are they going to take their houses off grid and disconnect the gas supply?

Until I see personal action on climate change, all they are doing is virtue signalling to take people’s attention away from the issues facing their businesses.

Tim Gillespie, Camberwell, Vic