By
looking at a map of my neighbourhood, I found out that just near me lives someone
called “Ben”, whose environmentally aware behaviour is calculated (by the
website) to save the carbon emissions of over two small cars. “Sarah” from up
the road, and an identity called “Nickypunts”, are also there.
Nevertheless, despite unprecendented catastrophic
weather events around the world, ice caps melting and other glaringly obvious
meteorological phenomena, some people still refuse to believe there might be an irreversible disaster facing
us if we don’t stop clearing vegetation and running our economies on fossil
fuels.
Unfortunately for the people of NSW, one of them is
Michael Costa, the State’s Treasurer. Costa is an avowed and proud climate
change skeptic, along with a few high-profile climate change deniers on the
fringes of rational climate change theory. He is the one who orchestrates the
provision of energy infrastructure for NSW, although you could hardly say he is
leading us anywhere. He would prefer business-as-usual than to strive for
energy security for this State.
It seems that since Bob Carr abandoned us to the
present Labor Government, all leadership in respect of energy policy has
evaporated into thin air. The NSW Government is resting on the laurels of its
advances made during the Carr years, but has done nothing since then to promote
energy security. In contrast, the City of Sydney
has one of its 2030 goals to “Implement
the fastest and most cost-effective transition to a low-carbon economy”.
Lord Mayor Clover Moore,
in her dual role as Independent Member for Bligh, says that many of her
constituents express concern about greenhouse gas emissions, and she is on the
record pressing for 30 per cent greenhouse gas reduction by 2020.
Strangely, south of the border in Heffron, Labor’s Kristina Keneally, a Minister in the present State
Government, says: “I have received less
than a dozen letters concerning greenhouse gas reduction in my Electorate
Office.”
You have to ask, why
do the people of South Sydney express their
views on climate change everywhere but Ms Keneally’s office? Is there a Bermuda
Triangle of opinion in Heffron?
I asked her whether
she thought it helpful to have an avowed and passionate climate change skeptic,
Mr Costa, making decisions about future energy technologies? She replied: “Professor Owen’s report confirms that exciting solutions will emerge from
developments in sustainable energy technology. The NSW Government understands
the importance of clean coal technology (regardless of which fuel source is
used in any new station) and accordingly, the Government is building on our
commitment to clean energy by investing in a $100 million Renewable Energy Fund
and a $100 million Clean Coal fund.”
Small wonder no one bothers to express views to Ms
Keneally on the critical subject of climate change and energy security.
Source:
South Sydney Herald June 2008 www.southsydneyherald.com.au