Beneath the Wisteria

Concerned about the State Government’s decision to abandon climate change abatement plans and, beyond that, “sell” Victorians on the idea of using more coal made me somewhat unhappy and so I wrote the following letter to Victorian Premier, Ted Baillieu – Robert McLean.

Premier of Victoria,
Mr. Ted Baillieu.

Dear Ted,

You and I, and all other Victorians, not to mention all Australians and the other seven billion who populate the planet, are locked into the most important and dangerous environmental experiment in the history of mankind.

Victorian Premier, Ted Baillieu.

I admire you for elevating the importance of economic considerations for the state, but in the same breath condemn that approach as it is little more than a response aimed at ensuring political survival – it is populist decision devoid of courage and simple good sense.

Nature does not play any favourites and rather and make decisions aimed at financial securing and enriching our state, you and your counterparts should be investigating, understanding and applying processes and state-wide programs that will enable and build strong and resilient communities able to withstand the rigours of a changing climate.

Those changes, unquestionable and certain to grow worse within years (already Victorians have had to endure fires, record rains and never before seen floods and disabling droughts), are clearly and undeniably illustrated by science that has been repeatedly articulated by many of the world’s best climatologists.

According to those climatologists, whose evidence is indisputable, the south-east corner of Australia, including Victoria, will be drier and warmer, significantly in both cases.

Ted, the hallmark of a good politician if courage and I urge you to illustrate your bravery and integrity by seriously considering and honestly considering the realities of climate change and work to ensure Victoria and Victorians are positioned to address the unquestioned changes to lifestyle that climate change will bring.

Coal fired power stations are the absolute villain in relation to carbon dioxide emissions and claims of “clean coal” are simply misleading.

Coal-fire power stations are
 the absolute villains with
 regard carbon dioxide
emissions.

A workable alternative is nuclear powered integral fast breeder reactors – they are absolutely different from traditional nuclear power plants as they use different technology and the science was virtually complete when the U.S. was frightened off from anything nuclear after the Three Mile Island incident.

The integral fast breeder reactor is safe in the worst imaginable catastrophe, consumes almost all its own waste and any other nuclear waste presently stored around the world and because of the technology on which it depends, they would never “melt-down” rather simply shut down, and because of the way it uses its fuel, that same fuel would never by usable in any sort of nuclear weapon.

I urge you to consider an integral fast breeder reactor as one or two could answer all Victoria’s power needs, be built to use much of the state’s existing infrastructure, reduce our carbon dioxide emissions by as much as up to 50 per cent and end our dependence on coal.

Turn the money and expertise you intend to spend and use convincing Victorians about the relevance and usefulness of coal (a fatuous argument) toward helping all our friends understand the benefits of switching to nuclear powered integral fast breeder reactors.

Author Tom Blees writes about nuclear powered integral fast breeder reactors in his book “Prescription for the Planet: ThePainless Remedy for Our Energy & Environmental Crises”.

We are trapped in the “endless growth” cycle and although economists may applaud and encourage its maintenance, the earth has other ideas and it will be the neighbourhoods, communities and states who step first into a steady state economy will be those that endure best and so be the most content as we wrestle with the challenging changes brought on by a warming world; something that is unquestionably happening according to respected Australian institutions, the Bureau of Meteorology and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO).

Ted, should you be keen to talk more I can be contacted at 5822 1766 or as I frequently visit Melbourne (by train), I can call and talk with you personally.

Thank-you for being accessible.