These unstoppable fires, beginning two
months ago in winter, are escalating towards an uncertain crescendo of
catastrophic proportions. The tireless, heroic efforts of fire-fighters, mostly
volunteers, have been magnificent, but they have been totally overwhelmed by
the enormity of the task, with no end in sight.
As the planet warms, the situation will
only worsen. Anyone claiming these fires are not related to climate change is
delusional. Incredibly, many of our politicians are exactly that, content to
ram their heads deeper into the sand with every successive climate-related
disaster.
Over a decade ago, British economist, Sir
Nicholas Stern, undertook an economic review of action on climate change, reporting
that the high cost of acting would be dwarfed by the cost of inaction.
Professor Ross Garnaut similarly warned
the Rudd Labor Government, subsequently reporting that Australia’s climate
change position“is weak
only because of an extraordinary failure
of leadership”, pointing out that neither major
political party has committed itself to policies that can get anywhere near
their already weak emissions reduction targets.
Last week, retired fire chief Greg
Mullins, warned the Federal Government that fire-fighters are entering
uncharted territory and that the government needs to urgently address the
situation. His plea for the Prime Minister to meet with 23 former senior
emergency figures to discuss their concerns about climate change and “the missing capacity to fight fires in a
new era” was fobbed off onto a junior minister.
"This is really
dangerous," Mr Mullins said: "People are at risk, we need a game changer
in how we deal with these catastrophes because they're going to get worse and
worse.”
The escalating cost of the current catastrophe will
certainly bear out Nicholas Stern's claim about the cost of government
inaction! Unfortunately, that cost will be borne by all of us, some paying for
it with their lives.
- John Edwards
 |
| Burnt bushland near Coutts Crossing, south of Grafton. Photo: John Edwards |
This article was originally published in the VOICES FOR THE EARTH column in The Daily Examiner on November 18, 2019
