Many recent correspondents have pointed out (correctly) that bushfires have always been a feature of Australian summers. The 1939 bushfire (our worst in history) and the 1983 Ash Wednesday fire, not to mention our own 2003 fire, claimed much more life and property than the recent fires in NSW and Queensland.
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The point these correspondents are missing is that ALL of these fires occurred in mid to late summer. The recent fires are raging while we have not even yet left spring and still have two more weeks to go until summer.
Due to climate change, the danger season is starting earlier each year and consequently will last longer.
George Beaton, Greenway
Let the inquiries begin
When the fires are out and the inquiries begin, the NSW government's decimation of the National Parks and Wildlife Service, in particular its loss of firefighting capacity, will be exposed. Between 2011 and 2017, the government systematically targeted rangers over the age of 50, most with more than 30 years' firefighting experience, for redundancy. To save money, the government sacrificed hundreds of years of fire suppression leadership at a time when bushfires were predicted to become more frequent and intense.
The NSW government left the state vulnerable to the fire tragedy that is now unfolding. It must be held accountable.
Bruce Gall, Nicholls
Turning a blind eye
I get somewhat irritated when we get repeated assertions that there are no "rigorous explanations" as to how the climate has changed and how these changes have affected nature, when numerous such explanations are publicly available, such as the well-publicised IPCC report or the warnings of the Chief Scientist. Dugald Barrack (November 16) prefers to turn a Nelsonian blind eye to these explanations. As for the previous flood in Venice which he puts forward as some sort of a rebuttal of climate change, the concern is not about their occurrence, but about their increasing frequency and severity. Their frequency has been increasing since the start of the 20th century, from four times a year in 1900 to 60 annually. This information is also easily obtainable.
David Roth, Kambah
Bravo to the anti-coal banks
In the ominous light of the bushfires razing huge areas of eastern Australia, it is encouraging to read that at least one of the "big four" banks, NAB, has decided to phase out its lending to the thermal coal mining and coal-fired power industries by 2035 ("Banks move away from thermal coal" November 16).
ANZ and the Commonwealth Bank seem likely to follow NAB, although at a distance and with more conditions. Westpac's intention to restrict its lending to mines in existing coal-producing regions (or basins), and to coal that is in the top 15 per cent in quality terms, rules out the financing of Adani's Carmichael coal mine and any new mines in the Galilee Basin. There are other signs that the use of thermal coal (as opposed to coking coal, used in steel-making) is declining - notably in our three biggest markets, Japan, China and India.All three are reducing their imports of Australian thermal coal.
Japan is dramatically reducing the number of new coal-fired power plants being built, and its major power utilities are prioritising solar and offshore wind energy over coal-fired power. China is moving away from imported thermal coal, using more of its own coal resources, and dramatically increasing its renewable energy production.
It was reported in August that India was preparing a plan to reduce its coal imports by at least a third over the next five years as it also moves to using more of its domestic coal resources and increases its output of renewable energy.
It is hardly surprising that the banks wish to phase themselves out of lending large sums of money to yesterday's industry.
Douglas Mackenzie, Deakin
Qantas's flight of fancy
It is ironic that Qantas's recent press release announcing its intention to "reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050 in a major expansion of the airline's commitment to a more sustainable aviation industry" should be sandwiched between to two test flights to trial ultra-long distance flying, first between New York and Sydney last month and the second between London and Sydney last week. Ultra-long-distance flights of this sort use an extravagant amount of fuel compared to one-stop flights between those destinations. The fuel penalty is probably in the order of 20 tonnes producing 60 tonnes of carbon dioxide. Qantas has not yet announced a selection of an Airbus or Boeing aircraft for these flights but when it does it will be interesting to see how much potential payload has to be sacrificed in order to accommodate the 100 tonnes or more of fuel that will be needed to reach the destinations on the other side of the world.
Robin Stanier, Torrens
Power of the press
Some weeks ago I wrote to The Canberra Times complaining about the doubling of our fortnightly debit for water from ICON. The increase was ridiculous, given our modest consumption and seemed arbitrary to us.
Maybe the outcome is testament to the power of your letters page, but we can't complain about the response from ICON.
We received a phone call, subsequent to the letter being published. The call was a frank admission of fault with an apology, and our debit has been readjusted. Furthermore, ICON installed a new meter in short time. Whether the old one was the problem was not an issue. ICON installed a new one without any debate.
While our initial complaint was justifiable, ICON's response has been textbook. Credit where credit is due.
P. Reynolds, Gilmore
We could learn from New Zealand
Behrouz Boochani has long been a symbol of the indomitable desire for freedom during his unconscionable detention on Manus Island. This remarkable man recently won Australia's most generous literary award, the Victorian Prize for Literature, with his stunning story No Friend but the Mountains, and is now free in New Zealand for a Christchurch literary event.
New Zealand remains a land with a moral compass, and as such has offered to give Manus refugees asylum. The Kurds have been persecuted for many generations, and fleeing to the mountains is a common means of escape.
The flight of Behrouz to the mountainous Land of the Long White Cloud is thus very symbolic. Let's hope he can remain there as a free man, and that somehow the Kurds in northern Syria, betrayed by President Trump, will also find some sanctuary.
Neville Exon, Chapman
Tram's hits and misses
The article "New footage shows light rail near misses" (November 14) details safety issues involving pedestrians and vehicles, and reveals an ACT government conundrum with light rail. The government wants the tram to be a hit with passengers and a no-hit with the community at large.
Peter Baskett, Murrumbateman
Electric buses smart alternative
I agree with Jeff Barker (November 15). The electric bus is the way of the future for Canberra. It has no clumsy overhead live power lines or dangerous ground-level tracks, which the trolley car - oops, I mean light rail - has.
The buses can be plugged into ordinary 10-amp power outlets and Australia's reliable off-peak coal will trickle-charge the battery overnight.
Judy Ryan, Lyons
High cost of van life
Recently retired, life is great! I never imagined it could be so good. After working for 50 years, I now have the time and freedom to do whatever I want (almost).
We bought a caravan and are setting off to explore this wonderful country next year. I'm not writing to say we are only in this pleasant position because of hard work; nor am I writing to talk about the funds we will spend in rural towns.
I simply ask why the ACT government deems it necessary to charge us $503 a year to register a caravan? Almost twice as much as the next most expensive jurisdiction (NT, $266) and eight times the cheapest state (Victoria, $61). Why, Mr Barr, why?
Peter Fyfe, Weetangera
Time to talk population
I write in response to Dick Smith's advertisement in The Canberra Times on November 13, in which he projects that Australia will have a population of 100 million by the end of this century, at the current rate of growth.
The maths may be right, but I believe it won't reach that figure. I believe the country will have gone belly up well before then. Like Dick and others, I believe that there is a population crisis.
To my way of thinking, there are far too many people in the world and probably too many in Australia.
What I can't understand is why our politicians don't address the issue. I can only assume that they are beholding to business and large donors.
Graeme Evans, Hawker
TO THE POINT
NOISY HOONS
Perhaps coincidentally, since the establishment of the Molonglo Valley suburbs, there has been a noticeable increase in noise from high-powered and highly tuned cars in the Weston Creek area; mainly on weekends and particularly on Sundays with Streeton Drive between Hindmarsh Drive and Cotter Road seeming to be the most favoured track. I really don't know why their mothers let them.
D. Nolan, Weston Creek
VIRTUE SIGNALLING?
Asked about climate change at the National Press Club last week, Alexander Downer used the term "virtue signalling".
Virtue is an old-fashioned word. It comes from Latin virtus, meaning manliness.
But manliness is not what we need in the current crisis. What we need is clear-sightedness - the ability, and courage, to face reality and act accordingly.
The government is showing no sign of clear-sightedness at the moment. It is fiddling while Australia burns.
Michael McCarthy, Deakin
HUMPTY DUMPTY MOMENT
This is Frydenberg's journey "Through the Looking-glass", where, like Alice's Humpty Dumpty, words can mean anything, even more so in translation(!) in a subjective legal environment. Time may subliminally foil "enforceable conditions" imposed on Bellamy's sale contract "supporting jobs in Australian" (Takeover deal no real threat, CT, 16 November, p.6).
Albert M. White, Queanbeyan
REWRITTEN HISTORY
Today in History (November 16) says that Australian bushranger Ben Hall takes part in the shooting of Sgt Edmund Parry at Collector, near Goulburn, NSW in 1864. Ben Hall did not take part.
He was in the hotel - reputedly entertaining a housemaid - when his young gang member, John Dunne, shot the unfortunate and brave Sgt Parry. Ben Hall had not killed anyone in his 27 years when, unarmed, he was shot in the back by a gang of police near Forbes on May 5, 1865.
Estelle Blackburn, Phillip
VERY CROSS WORDS
On Sunday mornings I often spend half an hour enjoying the quiet and exuding goodwill to all men as I attempt the CT crosswords. The large Sunday crossword has become less soothing to me of late and the November 17 version had me exuding will which was not always good towards its author.
Please point out to the author that, for example, a bell is NOT a siren (138 across) and that the seabirds who produce guano would be very surprised to learn that it is artificially produced (110 down).
Michael Duffy, Curtin
NO RED CARPET DUE
Liberal Party politicians Andrew Hastie and James Paterson are within their rights to criticise China over its policies.
However, they can hardly complain about its government refusing to lay out the red carpet for them.
After all, didn't John Howard, their party's great helmsman, once say "we will decide who comes to this country and the circumstances in which they come"?
Nigel Thompson, Queanbeyan
BRING ON RESTRICTIONS
How much longer is the ACT government going to wait until they impose water restrictions?
Janet Anderson, Kambah
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