'It's time to act on climate change'

YOUR SAY: The east coast of Australia is on fire. People are understandably upset as their homes and livelihoods are endangered.

FILE PHOTO. Picture: DAN PELED

YOUR SAY: The east coast of Australia is on fire. People are understandably upset as their homes and livelihoods are endangered. 

Politicians say now is not the time to talk because of the immediate catastrophic condition. Those charged with actually fighting the fire are talking about acting now for the future. 

This is obviously a problem of demarcation. The firefighters need to work hard to fight the current fire (and are), while politicians need to talk about and plan for the future. 

While it is true that no single event is an indication of climate change, it is the accumulation of data that does. 

Sea levels are rising, month-on-month global temperatures are rising and records are falling, the Arctic experiences wildfires, Antarctica is melting, species extinction is accelerating, ocean acidification is accelerating and the Great Barrier Reef is dying. 

Much of our modern world and life experiences are modelled on possibilities and statistics rather than absolutes.

Insurance bets on life expectancies based on a range of health factors. Economic modelling and future trends are based on algorithms. Decisions are based on predictions. 

Life's a gamble. What we need to do now is deciding to act on climate change and its causes based on overwhelming information or ignore for short-term benefits. 

STEPHEN MYSLIWY, Toowoomba

Originally published as 'It's time to act on climate change'