It is becoming increasingly evident that the opinions of the vast majority of Australians as opponents of the climate change debate have become totally irrelevant in this debate. They, as labelled deniers, haven’t denied that climate change isn’t an historical reality when one looks at evidence of the consequences of climate change in areas throughout the world as a naturally occurring phenomenon over time. Large areas of Greenland eg, for centuries leading up to the 15th century was rich farming land with beech forests until it succumbed to naturally occurring climate change, since covered with ice and snow. Close to home there is evidence of areas of past rain forests in the drier parts of Australia. What is being said though, and is falling on deaf ears, is that the bad carbon emissions in infinitesimal proportions measured in our country would be inconclusively not affecting our climate.
There appears to be an element of our society who have a weakness to take on board anything new which crops up which is extreme and controversial in thinking. Mostly these protagonists cleverly present their case in a very emotional ways using catch phrases and terminologies which catch one’s attention. There is a list a mile long including things like crocodiles, dingoes, fruit bats, kangaroos etc. Then add the Murray Darling Basin Rivers dying to the list all in the name of habitat clearing and climate change created by our nasty polluters. Most of these people wear different guernseys which are all in shades of green. Most Australians are real environmentalists who want to see our environment protected and sustained in balance with all other considerations. Those who initiate these extreme thinking matters carefully manipulate the imagination of some people which starts off the herd effect, ie, similar to a herd of cows under the trees resting when one starts walking off, so they all follow thinking it knows where it is going.
At the risk of sounding phil-osophical, it wasn’t the end of the world when the dinosaurs died off, presumably due to climate change. Can’t blame Neanderthal man for that one.
The point I am making is that these people use scare mongering tactics to gain support, the tactic of which isn’t new.
At the beginning of the last century for instance, with the advent of street electricity lighting with associated power lines, a strong movement was formed opposing it due to their belief that this would affect our climate. About that time the same occurred when the first few motor cars appeared on our roads. At the same time of the first space travel programs being launched, much opposition and condemnation followed of the likely weather effects which this would create.
During the 1970s some predicted gloom and doom in that there were signs that a global ice age was imminent in which severe prevailing cold conditions would make it difficult to grow crops and hence world starvation would follow.
During the 1990s then, a complete reversal, with science predicting global warming with similar consequences as the ice age scenario. The wheels fell off that momentum, to be changed a few years ago to climate change, as usual, due to man’s activities, CO2 emissions along with land clearing etc.
During the 1980s there appeared great numbers or crown of thorns starfish in our Great Barrier Reef with grave predictions that the reef would be destroyed within a few years. The reef’s still there and all’s well! It isn’t any wonder that there is such opposition to all the drastic moves which our Government is planning in their bid to lead the world in measures to solve a problem that either doesn’t exist or we have no control over. We breathe in amongst the cleanest air in the world, have amongst the best pollution-free water in our rivers and waterways due to our pollution control measures already taken in many forms.
May I, with respect, suggest these concerned green minded people with a burning desire to help the environment should go to India or China and offer to fix the pollution problems around some of their heavily industrialised cities where visibility is becoming very worrying. Chances are they will be put on the first plane home at best.
Keith Dunlop
Port Macquarie
