As a nature lover, I have been horrified by what is happening during the Australia bush fire season. I consider myself to be a travel writer and rarely engage in political discussion but I have found myself distressed with what has gone on within the county but also all the discussion, exaggeration and slandering that is currently going on. I prefer to be objective with practical solutions, every action has a consequence, these are my 10 points for both Australia and the Globe.
- Australian Government should complete cost analysis in removing coal from Australia’s energy mix and the effect on the cost per household, this needs to be known because right now all Australians benefit from coal
- Ban the smelting of aluminium, it takes up 15% of energy production in Australia, the industry workers involved should be compensated and re-skilled.
- A sensible discussion around the use of nuclear and hydrogen power as alternatives to coal, wind and solar are currently incapable of generating baseload power. It would take up to 30 years to introduce nuclear power within Australia if the discussion started now, look to France for example as a successful and safe nuclear-powered nation.
- Australians are frequent flyers and an increased tax on jet fuel to drive up ticket prices will lead to less plane travel, this can lead to alternative modes of transport, the ie introduction of major high-speed rail transport between cities
- Ban diesel cars now and phase out fuel-only cars and its place duel fuel cars and eventually electric. Australia is a big per capita carbon emitter because of coal and also the use of cars due to distances in Australia, let’s look at alternate transport public transport within the cities, the introduction of Light Rail in Sydney is a good example
- Clarity around the “Climate Change” argument, the simple statement “Climate Change is Real” is vague, something like “Human Heating Planet” HHP is far more descriptive, also disingenuous politicians when discussing climate will have to make the distinction
- Remove the exaggerating from the argument, it’s not the hottest the planet has ever been but the hottest during human measurement going back to 1880, also denying excessive carbon use today has not affected weather is in complete denial of what is going on
- Stop publicly slandering people that choose to make a stand, Greta Thunberg shouldn’t be derided because she has taken action, Australia fires is also a catalyst and its now a global discussion
- More coordination between the Australian States and the Federal Government regarding bushfires, the Royal Commission is a good start, also funding to Local Bush Fire Brigades should be discussed.
- Don’t overestimate Australia’s place in the world, Australia has the world focusing on it at the moment, this will change. If Australia were to choose and ban coal exports it’s not Australia’s place to dictate to the rest of the world but hopefully, follow our example. Australia is derided already globally particularly in SE Asia (ex Asylum Seekers), Actions Count, Not Words.
And the rest of the Globe
Look to those who are the biggest global emitters of carbon, China, US, India, Russia, Japan, Germany, South Korea, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Canada round at the Top 10. Australia may pursue all these changes as suggested but if other countries choose no action then what is the point. It’s up to leaders to have a more informed and respectful discussion and the first action is removing all exaggeration and slandering from the argument. Every country has consequences and knock-on effects on climate change and all these issues need to be understood
PS Come and visit Australia, despite some “exaggeration” in social media circles, the entire country is not burning, our land and forests, for the most part, remain untouched. It’s a beautiful country, go and visit affected areas such as the North and South Coast of NSW, Gippsland and Kangaroo Island, it would be most appreciated
Endless Roaming 