Tony Abbott reckons a bit of global warming could be a good thing, especially if it comes with capitalist prosperity.
He’s checked a few pics of his local Manly Beach and has seen no signs of sea level rises (the islands that have already disappeared beneath the South Pacific being, conveniently, beyond the horizon).
Australia should fully exploit its coal, oil, gas and uranium resources and reject the clean energy target recommended by chief scientist Alan Finkel, Abbott added in his speech to fellow climate deniers in London on October 10.
Abbott likened scientists warning the world to take urgent action to avert catastrophic climate change to asking us to sacrifice goats before an erupting volcano.
“Awkward!” — as they say — especially when this loopy speech is by a recent former Australian prime minister.
Meanwhile, Liberal MP George Christensen is seeing green lefts not just under the proverbial bed, but allegedly running the ABC. No wonder. Abbott is enough to turn sensible folk green left.
Do we really want to dismiss the overwhelming scientific consensus as lying, data set-slanting high priests of superstition? Do we want to ignore the warnings in the form of more frequent and severe weather events?
What’s wrong with marshalling society’s collective resources to switch to renewables, properly public transport-serviced cities, and make all the other changes required to address the now very urgent climate change crisis?
And what’s wrong with doing it with public investment and under public control? Why does it have to go the slow, inconsistent and more expensive road of privatisation and leaving to the market?
After four decades of neoliberal madness, we know that leaving it to the market is a big mistake. The falling cost of renewable energy should be used to catch up to the significant lag in our collective response to climate change. It should not be squandered on making sure big business makes another big profit.
The green left perspective is the sensible perspective and our common future hangs on more people being won over to it. This is where you can play a role. You can help by taking out a subscription and making a donation to our 2017 Fighting Fund.
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