Letter writer wants us to 'Face the real threat'

Melbourne Age letter writer Colin Hughes from Greenmount in Western Australia, argues we should “Face the real threat”.

He wrote in today’s Age:

“The Paris climate conference puts the risk of terrorism and national security into perspective. While Australia spends billions of dollars on metadata control and bombing Syria, the real risk to Australia's security goes largely ignored.

There are three issues: biosecurity of our crops and farming; eco-security effects on the Great Barrier Reef and fish stocks plus bushfires and desertification; and disease security where we are already seeing increased risk of tropical diseases such as dengue fever and malaria creeping into Australia, plus the effects of excessive heat on our sick and elderly. Climate change will also put even more pressure on the world's ability to manage refugees. California has shown it is possible to innovate and invest in alternative sustainable energy. It is time our government got serious about the real threats to national security.”