Having read the letter written by Harry Creamer of Mid North Coast Climate Action Group, I am compelled to make a few comments.
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I belong to no advocacy group, but as a retired science teacher and enthusiast I think a few "corrections" need to be made.
Firstly, where is the evidence that 73 per cent of Australians are concerned about climate change and 70 per cent think coal power should be phased out? How was this statistical data collected?
Secondly, I am somewhat confused by the use of the term climate change when probably you meant 'global warming'. It is a well recorded fact that climate on the earth's surface has always changed. It should also be remembered that climate represents the average conditions of an area over an accepted period of time (certainly longer than 30 years, which is commonly quoted today). In many cases, people confuse fluctuations in localized weather to mean climate change.
Thirdly, I am confused by the term used, 'carbon pollution'.
The building block of living things is the carbon atom and the millions of combinations produced to make the 'molecules of life'. So how could it be a pollutant. The main source of carbon for living things is carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, taken in by plants and photosynthesised into living things.
CSIRO scientists have estimated that Australia is carbon neutral. This means that carbon dioxide is well balanced in our ecosphere. A hugh amount of replanting has taken place by governments and organizations throughout Australia. In fact, most of the current logging is from regrowth or plantation forests.
Also I could mention that coal mines don't cause pollution any more than renewable energy production. I guess it depends on what type of pollution you are talking about. I guess there would be an outrage if wind generators dominated the Sydney Harbour foreshores.
Finally, where is the evidence that Australia is more vulnerable to impacts of climate change as quoted. No events have occurred recently that have not occurred in the past and, many of these have been much more severe and often caused by poor management rather than nature itself.
I am not a climate change denier (whatever that is supposed to be), but I am not convinced that global warming can be all contributed to coal fired power stations in Australia.
