Time for a climate change reality check on both sides of the debate

Are we numb to world news as we sit here in lockdown in “Fortress Australia”? Buried deep in the newspaper I have been reading snippets about the devastation of floods in Germany, bushfires in Siberia and heatwaves in North America. Climate scientists are confirming that these extreme weather events are manifestations of climate change (“Climate crisis runs ahead of scientists”, 19/7). There is undeniably a global pattern of record-setting high temperatures and increasing severity of weather events. We’ve even experienced these here in Australia, yet we continue to fail to act. Pausing amid the Covid-19 pandemic to follow world news and remember the heat and devastating bushfires of 2019-20 is an important step. Broadening to incorporate these global views might just be enough to make us start to take heed of the scientific warnings.

Dr Amy Hiller, Kew, Vic

If Douglas Mackenzie is so keen on net-zero emissions (Letters, 20/7), I suggest that he stops using coal-fired power to light his home, charge his phone and keep him warm during Canberra’s bitterly cold winters, that he eliminates all meat products from his diet and trades in his car for a bicycle, and then see how he likes living an emissions-free life. The trouble with net-zero devotees is that they have no understanding of how the concept works.

As for his concern for the health of the Great Barrier Reef, Mackenzie might care to sail, not fly, to the South China Sea and check out how the coral reefs there are faring with the mass discharge of raw human sewage from Chinese trawlers (“China’s sewage turning reef into one big toilet”, 16/7).

Dale Ellis, Innisfail, Qld

The Western world seems to be divided into two sorts of people: those who earnestly believe everything the climate change advocates say, including that the big emitters have a genuine intention to reduce their emissions by 2050 or 2035 or even 2030.

Then there are the rest who know from past performance that whatever their stated intentions, this will never happen in China, India, Russia or most countries in our neighbourhood. It’s even unlikely to happen in Britain, despite Boris Johnson’s recent conversion to the path of righteousness. Such people also know that Scott Morrison’s government seems likely to be one of the few that will exceed its commitments. Douglas Mackenzie demonstrates that he is in the former camp. Time, not ideology, will prove which is correct.

K. MacDermott, Binalong, NSW

Offence best defence

Why we wring our hands and make subtle veiled comments about the hacking and cyber warfare attacks by the usual suspects is puzzling to say the least (“China accused of major cyber attack”, 20/7). This is the new front for intelligence gathering, IT systems testing, and military and civil technology theft. Some for commercial gain. In open hostilities, it will be the pre-emptive offensive to destroy command, control, communications and intelligence capabilities for the military and its domestic support systems. I would be surprised if we, and our allies, weren’t providing the same retaliatory services to those countries that are attacking us. If not, then we are operating with one hand tied behind our backs. Russia, China, Iran and North Korea, which openly ignore international norms, will continue their cyber attacks until we demonstrate that we too can break those established international norms and retaliate strongly.

Tom Moylan, Melbourne City

Blame game

Our system of rule will never change, Judith Sloan (“Balance of power shifts to the states”, 20/7), because it gives both federal and state governments an endless wellspring of that most precious political nectar: lack of accountability. Any failure at state level can be immediately blamed on the feds’ lack of funding or infrastructure. Any failure at federal level can be blamed on the states’ poor service delivery. The buck stops nowhere, and we taxpayers are the losers in this perpetual motion machine.

Anthony Pane, Brisbane

Take on trust

News stories about the Obeids and Ian Macdonald being found guilty of conspiracy and the scathing Auditor-General’s report on the $660m Commuter Car Park Projects fund demonstrate the importance of having anti-corruption bodies to combat corruption in politics in Australia.

It is critical for the health of democracy that a federal anti-corruption body be established.

Clearly the revamped ministerial standards under the stewardship of the Prime Minister is ineffective in addressing the conduct of ministers.

There is no doubt trust in politics will be a significant election issue at the next election as frustration about the use of taxpayers money grows.

David Muir, Indooroopilly, Qld