A note in reply to Sharman Stone

Recently I wrote to the Federal Member for Murray, Sharman Stone, about the potential changes we face as an outcome of climate change.

Her reply was kind and courteous, but quickly collapsed into a political discussion about the wonders of Liberal Party ideology compared to the inadequacies of Labour Party policy. That, however, what was not what I wanted to hear, rather I eager to hear about some positive, bipartisan steps that would ease the impact of human-induced climate change.

Below is what I said today (March 6) in reply – Robert McLean.

Dear Sharman,

Thank-you so much for your reply to my note about human-induced climate change.

Sharman Stone

It saddened me that you choose to cherry-pick facts and then without hesitation turned it into a political conversation about who was right and who was wrong.

It’s worth noting, however, that nature doesn’t care about our politics, or the world’s economy, its only interest, if it can be argued nature has an interest, is in finding equilibrium, something it will do regardless of our political stance or financial stake in world affairs.

The overall threat to the world, and the very existence of humanity, is so great and so in need of an immediate attention we need genuine and honest bipartisan response to the impact we are having on our climate.

Just last week I listened to a professor who has direct association with the London School of Economics, Oxford University and the University of Melbourne and has been working to understand human-induced climate change and it impact on our economies and Dr Cameron Hepburn argued that if we stopped subsidizing technologies dependent on fossil fuels we would immediately remove half of our carbon dioxide emissions.

Put so succinctly that seems simple, but as both you and I know it is not and will only eventuate if there is authentic bipartisan conversation combined with an extensive project aimed at helping people understand the seriousness of climate change implications.

Personally, debates about who is right or wrong about the impact of climate change and do not interest me for as I said earlier, nature doesn’t care nor does it have an respect for what we might consider right or wrong.

You were pretty close to correct about Australia’s contribution to green house gases (less than 2%), but you failed to acknowledge the per capita contribution of Australians that makes us among the worst in the world.

Beyond that, of course and which must be noted, is that we actually export many of our emissions in that coal (the absolute villain among green house gas emitters) and other base resources are shipped overseas at an alarming rate.

Australians, or rather a few rich individuals, pocket the profits and in a world sense, we socialize the costs – in other words, we share the resultant carbon dioxide emissions with the world.

Ideas of the Liberal Party are honourable, but absolute ineffective in dealing with a problem that, if not attended to within the next three or four years will decimate the world’s populations, including Australia’s.

James Hansen

I don’t need to personally justify any of this as if has already been clearly documented, repeatedly, by many and importantly the head the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies and an adjunct Professor with the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Columbia University, Dr James Hansen.

Speaking at a recent conference in America, Dr Hansen said that governments around the world are going after any fossil fuels they can find, completely ignoring the science.

He has advocated that a fee on carbon be collected from fossil fuel companies at the source.

Encouraging the governments of the world to act to counter the damage we are doing to the environment, he said our failure to have an adequate response would be “intergenerational injustice”.

Sharman, this is your watch and wouldn’t be wonderful if when in generations to come people looked back and said that is was the courage and commitment of Sharman Stone as the Federal Member for Murray that had a huge impact on saving Australia, and by implication the world, from the worst of climate change,

To initiate some movement in Federal Parliament leading to changes in our way of life that may forestall climate change impacts may require you to ultimately sacrifice your career, but that raises a difficult scenario – what is ultimately more important your career or the long-term well being of Australia.

Personally, the last four or five years has been life-changing as I have devoted myself to listening to as many authoritative speakers as I could, read endlessly and, or course, listened to a few highly qualified climate change skeptics and the result of all that leaves me without any doubt that we are facing times so difficult we even begin to imagine how tough they will be.

Being aware of the science and the implicated threats, I decided that personally I should do what I could and so set up a voluntary organization, Beneath the Wisteria  with absolutely no authority, and no formalities to discuss a reasoned response to climate change, which has meet three times and attracted up to 14 people and beyond that, and determined not to die with regrets, I have argued, with little success I might add, that the McPherson Media Group should act to prepare for what will be a trio of difficulties in climate change, resource depletion and an imploding world economy.

Jacob Bronowski

Sharman, I urge you to step beyond you Liberal Party confines, consider climate change as something that will impact on us all, irrespective of political leanings, an act to do what you can to have the Federal Government address the causations of what it is that is changing the world’s climate.

Reading just a few minutes I came across a quote from a Polish-Jewish-British mathematician, biologist, historian, author, poet and inventor, the late Jacob Bronowski, who once said:

“Dream or nightmare, we have to live our experience as it is, and we have to live it awake. We live in world that is penetrated through and through by science and which is both whole and real. We cannot turn it into a game simply by taking sides”.

Bronowski’s view seems relevant to what is ahead.

In all that, take care,

Robert McLean,
March 6, 2012.