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COP26 SUMMIT

Our 2050 agreed target is a pyrrhic victory

COP26 continues to press for global actions that will hold the Earth’s rise in temperature to 1.5 or 2 degrees, beyond which lies catastrophic, likely unstoppable consequences on all living things. And here we are thinking that agreement to net zero emissions by 2050 is what the doctor ordered. This is like suggesting that in response to COVID-19, doctors had said we must all be vaccinated by the end of 2022, and our governments agreed to that but had no requirements to get there. We would have been free to wander about saying we had a target and a long time to get there, with some desultory token action, wondering why things got worse.

What the “doctors” say about the climate risk is that the targets for stopping emissions must be met in the next 10 years, starting with strong action now, or it’s over – just can’t get there. What a pity that the consequences of failure here cannot be seen in the same way as the impact of COVID-19. It simply doesn’t feel real, and our government is not saying the equivalent of get vaccinated or there will be consequences. Our 2050 agreed target is a pyrrhic victory.
Carolyn Ingvarson, Canterbury

Cementing our reputation as a climate action blocker
How dare Scott Morrison claim that his government is acting on climate change “the Australian way”. Shirking one’s responsibilities might be Mr Morrison’s way but it’s certainly not the way the Australian people react to an emergency.

The Coalition is blocking global collaboration on climate action, promoting the extension and expansion of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas, and refusing to step up and set stronger, bolder climate goals this decade. It’s not only totally inadequate, it’s pitiful and embarrassing; Mr Morrison’s actions so far at COP26 have only cemented our global reputation as a climate action blocker.
John Charles, Mount Waverley

Move to end deforestation uplifting
How wonderful that “more than 100 world leaders” are about to agree with ending global deforestation by 2030 (“Move to save the planet’s forests”, The Age, 3/11). This is such a relief after so much emissions reduction disagreement at COP26. In a contrast, protecting and restoring forests is a common cause uniting countries including Brazil, Indonesia, Canada, Russia and Australia. This success is so uplifting and also fits perfectly with naturalist Sir David Attenborough’s fundamental call for rewilding our planet.
Barbara Fraser, Burwood

Coalition in a trap of its own making
Making economic decisions purely based on political motives might seem clever at the time but can be fraught with peril. Decisions of the past to dump carbon pricing have caught the Coalition government in a trap of its own making. It is left with a meandering approach to climate change, relying on tenuous measures such as “banking on the private sector to voluntarily move to low-emissions alternatives” (“PM spruiks green tech fix to leaders in Glasgow”, The Age, 3/11), instead of applying direct market signalling – pricing carbon. Unable to provide leadership over a pivotal issue that undeniably affects our future health and prosperity, Australia’s representatives have not only been sidelined at the COP26 summit, but diminished our standing and influence on the world stage.
Jane Robins, Moonee Ponds

Well past time for a carbon price
From what we are hearing from COP26, carbon pricing is the best mechanism to decarbonise the economy. The ghost of “axe the tax” Tony Abbott and his climate deniers must not be allowed to sabotage attempts to take real action on climate. We have already lost a decade to Abbott’s politically motivated madness. We cannot lose another to Morrison’s fraudulent “do nothing, she’ll be right” non-plan to reach net zero by 2050. Put a price on carbon and use the funds to help fossil fuel workers transition to new industries in a decarbonised economy.
Nick Toovey, Beaumaris

THE FORUM

Glasgow shame
If you happen to meet a French person in the next little while you will find J’ai honte a useful phrase. It translates literally as “I have shame.” However there is insufficient space here to provide a similar phrase in all the necessary languages for our performance
in Glasgow.
Russell Downie, Balwyn

Voter fraud is real
Opponents of the federal government’s proposed requirement that electors show proof of identity before voting invariably emphasise that the incidence of detected fraudulent voting at previous elections has been an apparently minuscule 0.03 per cent. According to the Electoral Commission, however, the number of enrolled electors at the end of 2019 was 16,424,248. Now, 0.03 per cent of this number is about 5000. This number is not minuscule; it is enough to effect the outcome of a close election and may be expected to increase as the traditional Australian concept of the “fair go” becomes history.
Albert Riley, Mornington

Now this is a plan
One, we vote the Liberals/Nationals out; two, we bring back carbon pricing; three, we cancel the nuclear subs; four, we spend the subs money putting power lines underground. Now that’s a plan.
Colin Mockett, Geelong

Education the answer
Once again Ross Gittins nails it with an incisive deconstruction of the “plan” put forward by Scott Morrison to ameliorate against climate change (“Gaslighting on climate reality”, The Age, 3/11). The ideas contained in this pamphlet have not been costed, make very broad, uncontested, assumptions and don’t provide any measures or time scales for delivering specific initiatives. What is needed is a fearless media that highlights, on the front page, the smoke and mirrors contempt held for the public. Unfortunately, as he indicates, many voters will think that real action is happening and aren’t across the detail until it will be too late. More training in TAFE and through universities to enable workers to transition into new employment is required … what a pity that this government has decimated this education sector over the past decade.
Denise Stevens, Healesville

Carbon price essential
I am a little puzzled by Scott’s plan. I accept that there will be technological changes and innovations before 2050, although relying on unknown technology to solve a problem seems courageous to say the least. But what incentive is there for these inventions to be developed – if there is a price on carbon then there is certainly a value to be placed on developing a system that can reduce carbon emissions as it will save the user money. But without a carbon price why would an industry invest in such solutions?
Dave Torr, Werribee

Finding their voice
What a revelation! The “minister for saying nothing” in the Coalition government, Mathias Cormann, has morphed into the Secretary-General of the OECD and makes insightful comments about climate change action. Similarly, the timid, “prisoner of the right” former prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, is now a straight shooting commentator with much to say on climate change and other government policies, whether one agrees with him or not. Where were you when Australia needed you?
David Mansour, North Balwyn

Nurses left behind
I read that workers in sectors such as finance, law and construction can expect pay rises of between 10 per cent and 40 per cent as firms compete for staff, but that nurses will struggle to gain a 2 per cent increase this year. Yes, those workers who have been praised and lauded by our leaders are being left behind. Meanwhile recent reports by the Parliamentary Budget Office, an independent body of federal public servants, has reported that in the three months between July and September 2020 of the government’s JobKeeper scheme, at least $10 billion was overpaid to firms that actually increased turnover. In total it is estimated that $13 billion was overpaid in JobKeeper grants and the government has no plans to claw this money back. The amounts are huge and likely mind boggling to nurses who would welcome recognition of them putting their lives on the line each day they turn up for work.
Doug Shaw, Sunbury

Beyond belief
Prime Minister Morrison and his colleagues have consistently denigrated and hindered the development of renewable energy technology. Joe Hockey described wind turbines as “utterly offensive” and a blight on the environment. Morrison mocked South Australia’s big Tesla battery by comparing it to the big banana. The National Energy Guarantee was scuppered and electric vehicles would, in Morrison’s words “end the weekend”. Now we are expected to swallow the line these same Luddites will adopt new technology when they have shunned it in the past?
Peter Martina, Warrnambool

Aged care disgrace
The pandemic brought the unacceptable state of Australian aged care to public attention. The aged care royal commission’s interim report Neglect confirmed it to be a longstanding national disgrace. Australian aged care will remain this way (“‘Neglect’ in aged care outbreaks”, The Age, 3/11), unless the reforms recommended by the aged care royal commission’s final report Care, Dignity and Respect are conscientiously attended to by a future federal government.
Ruth Farr, Blackburn South

Show him the exit
Tim Smith’s arrogant refusal to stand down after being drunk at the wheel defines the true nature of his personality (“MP defies Guy’s call to quit after crash”, The Age, 3/11). It also gives Matthew Guy the opportunity to show his mettle in demanding Smith resign, completely, from Parliament.
Anne Kruger, Rye

Vale Ashley Mallett
Ashley Mallett, renowned Australian spin bowler, from the ’60s to the ’80s, has died. He should be remembered for his books, one of which, Lords’ Dreaming, was about Tom Wills, responsible for organising the Indigenous cricketers’ tour of England in 1868-69. Thank you Ashley.
Liz Middleton, Clematis

Mobile madness
Last week I had to buy a new mobile phone and asked for the simplest possible phone. The one I was advised to buy had many inexplicable symbols and processes but there are no written instructions. “Just try things out,” I was told.

Mobile phones have become essential but I can’t work it out. As a former music teacher, what if I gave a student a clarinet and said “Go away and just try things out”.

What hope have we seniors got to survive in this society, if everything is in an unknown language and if we have no adolescents in our lives to teach us how to survive?
Nola McIvor, Golden Square

Time to go underground
Isn’t it time that power lines were placed underground? After the exceptional “once in a lifetime” storm in June, it took two weeks for AusNet to more or less rebuild the network in the Dandenongs and last Friday it was time for another storm. I was lucky to be without power, water and communications for only 1 days this time, compared to 15 days in June, but others are still without power five days later. And this storm was nothing special, just an ordinary storm of the kind we will likely have to get used to due to climate change.

Electricity supply is no longer a public service so the repair bills following each storm will be clawed back on the power bills in order for the shareholders to receive their dividends and for the CEOs to get their bonuses. A major infrastructure upgrade such as placing power lines underground would not give immediate financial gain so is not likely to happen anytime soon.
Anna Herbst, Kalorama

End of postal voting
The process whereby an individual’s name is crossed off the electoral roll in the polling station is subject to abuse because there is no certainty that the person presenting at the polling station is actually the listed elector. Therefore proof of identity would be a benefit. It follows that if proof of ID is introduced at polling stations; then postal voting will have to be discontinued because there is no guarantee that the sender of the postal vote, which would include a copy of the voter’s ID, is actually the voter.
Doug Shapiro, Doncaster East

Numbers don’t add up
I have counted votes after several elections without coming across voter fraud. But I often came across cases where the system of exhaustive preferential voting meant that I had to disallow votes where the main intention of the voter was clear from their number one choice, but they had messed up numbering lower down the preference choices.

No-one could explain why exhaustive is better than an optional preference system, which is now applied to Senate voting. Why not to lower house?
Loch Wilson, Northcote

Reinstate hospital visits
I was recently admitted to a Melbourne public hospital. The standard of care was exemplary, however it was quickly apparent that longer term patients are suffering from the COVID-19 ban on hospital visitors and that this may in some cases be delaying recovery and increasing length of stays. While a COVID-19 outbreak in a hospital would obviously have disastrous consequences it is difficult to believe appropriate protocols cannot be put in place to mitigate this risk. For example, patients could nominate a single support person who is double vaccinated, has regular COVID PCR tests and a rapid test each time they visit and wears an N95 mask while in the hospital. Now that we’ve found COVID-safe ways to open up venues and shops surely we can find a way to allow safe hospital visits.
Owen Davies, Glen Iris

AND ANOTHER THING …

Credit:

Politics
Welcome to the circus! Please give it up for Gladys, Scott and Timmy.
Barry James, Lilydale

Who is the leader of the opposition calling to account PM Morrison and the government – Anthony Albanese, Malcolm Turnbull or Kevin Rudd?
Rob King, Carrum

Oh, Tim! Not the Messiah, just a very naughty boy.
David G. Hay, Greensborough

Scott Morrison
Which is worse, lying or leaking?
Ross Coulthard, Glen Iris

Poor ScoMo. Monstered by the big boys. An innocent abroad.
Bill Cleveland, Kew

When will we see the reply text to Macron, saying: “No worries, mate. She’ll be right. True dinks – Scotty.”
Danny Cole, Essendon

Ah yes, “the Australian way”, that wouldn’t be the underarm delivery way would it?
Craig Jory, Glenroy, NSW

Is lying the new Australian way?
Randall Bradshaw, Fitzroy

COP26 conference
These climate summits are looking increasingly like an end-of-lease party plan for our planet.
Roderick Carmichael, St Kilda

India aims for net zero by 2070. Perhaps if we stop selling them coal their target may shrink a little?
John Heggie, Hastings

One minute to midnight – how long did it take us to get there?
Andrew Remington, Travancore

The PM’s faith in his snake oil climate plan gives a whole new meaning to “blind trust”.
Alan Whittaker, East Kew

Furthermore
Finding Cleo was a wonderful outcome for her family, and thanks must go to work of the Western Australia Police Force.
Mary Fenelon, Doncaster East

Climate change, refugees, political integrity: Australia has gone from being the lucky country to the yucky country.
Claire Merry, Wantirna

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