Australia Burns: Fireworks, Bush Fires and Denial
As 2020 approached, the sense that the barbarians were not only at the gates but had breached the walls of indifference had come to the fore. But these were not conventional human forms; rather, they were the agents of conflagration, driving people to the sea, forcing them from homes and consuming territories the size of small countries. Australia was burning.
Then it became clear that the barbarians might have been among us all along, the dedicated wreckers of the biosphere, the climate change denialists who cling to a tradition highlighted by the smug authors of Genesis 1:26: that the non-human world is there for the conquest of humanity. Unfortunately for the smug scribblers of the Bible, the earth has not been too compliant in this regard.
As the continent scorched, the annual, exorbitant display of Sydney’s fireworks that mark the opening of the new year seemed a touch vulgar. This was not a time to be solemn or mournful; the bread and circuses had to continue coming. The presenters of the ABC’s New Year’s Eve show attempted to put on a brave face, turning it to a donations run for those who had suffered loss in the bush fires. Even as they did, a floating haze was evident; Sydney could not escape from the reality that it was surrounded by flames.
Australian towns are starting to sound like besieged forts and desperate holdouts. The Victorian seaside town of Mallacoota has been elevated to something like a First World War Verdun against the onslaught of fire. Thousands had gathered on Tuesday at the boat ramp. Pictures of a blood red sky have been taken, most notably that of Allison Marion’s picture of her son, Finn. But will the flames pass? The question is never far away from those engaged. For those directly fighting the flames, deaths are accumulating. Men like Sam McPaul of the Morven Rural Fire Brigade have become the fallen warriors of hoses and salvation.
The Morrison government, despite the calamities, would not let up in its boastful assertions on environmental soundness. Energy minister Angus Taylor, who is Australia’s de facto environment minister (that portfolio has little relevance in Australia, except for granting mining approvals) took to The Australian to claim that the country had a record that should make people proud. “Australia meets and beats its emissions-reduction targets, every time.” The Kyoto targets were outdone by 129 million tonnes; the 2020 targets will be met by 411 million tonnes.
But the technique of such praise is always slanted; Australia was positively virtuous in climate change policy, yet was only “responsible for only 1.3% of global emissions, so we can’t single-handedly have a meaningful impact without the co-operation of the largest emitters such as China and the US.”
Australia had been fighting climate change as dedicated troopers against the odds. Pity that the odds were themselves compounded by his government’s own scepticism at the very idea that disastrous burning events might be an effect of climate change. Selective accounting is the panacea sought in this regard, and Taylor does so by picking figures that exclude, for instance, emissions from the fossil fuels Australia digs and exports. Like an arms exporter with an amoral compass and a mind for the selective, the claim here is that Australia cannot be responsible for what others do with the earth’s loot, despite actually providing them in the first place.
Those actually versed with export and production figures tend to raise their eyebrows when Taylor takes to the podium of praise. Frank Jotzo, director of the Centre for Climate and Energy Policy at the ANU Crawford School of Public Policy, was politely damning. “I would characterise [Taylor’s article] as a selective use of statistics that make Australia’s emissions trajectory look good, when in reality it does not look good at all.”
A study by Climate Analytics published in July 2019 does much to shred the Taylor worldview in this regard. As the authors note with severity, “Australia is the world’s largest coal (thermal + metallurgical) exporter, accounting for 29% of traded coal globally in 2016 and will soon be the world’s largest natural gas (LNG) exporter. As a consequence, Australia’s global carbon footprint is very significant, with exported fossil fuel emissions currently representing around 3.6% of global emissions.”
Hardly insignificant, and even more damnable considering that Australia is in the big league when it comes to per capita emissions of carbon, including exports. China, for instance, is surpassed by a factor of 9; the US by 4, India by 37.
The prime minister is proving unconvincing in his efforts to fight the storm. A tweeted statement from Scott Morrison gave the impression that this was merely another housekeeping exercise to complete, the fires manageable interruptions to the perfect Australian life. “Federal Government, especially our Defence Forces, are working together with the Victorian Government to respond to Victorian bushfires. VIC CFA are leading the response.” He noted how both he and the Victorian premier had been in “regular contact” admitting that, “Reports of persons unaccounted for are very distressing.”
Federal Government, especially our Defence Forces, are working together with the Victorian Government to respond to Victorian bushfires. VIC CFA are leading the response. Premier @DanielAndrewsMP & I are in regular contact. Reports of persons unaccounted for are very distressing.
— Scott Morrison (@ScoMo30) December 31, 2019
His new year address sank like an unprized lead balloon. He conceded that 2019 had not been without difficulties. “But the one thing we an always celebrate in Australia is that we live in the most amazing country on earth and the wonderful Aussie spirit that means we always overcome whatever challenges that we face that we always look optimistically into your future.” Australia remained exemplary as a “place to raise kids”. The disasters, on the other hand, have not been singular. “Whatever our trials, whatever disasters have befallen us, we have never succumbed to panic.” A true man of advertising, to the last.
Like what we do at The AIMN?
You’ll like it even more knowing that your donation will help us to keep up the good fight.
Chuck in a few bucks and see just how far it goes!
11 comments
Login here Register here-
Harry Lime -
David Stakes -
pierre wilkinson -
Rosemary J36 -
eefteeuu -
Jack sprat -
Phil Pryor -
Ken Fabian -
Zathras -
Kathryn -
Michael Taylor
Return to home pageNothing will change until the lying cultist is gone.Expect a summer coup in the Liar’s party.
Harry, please spare us Dutton. Or do we have to go from worse to worser.
it is his party panicking that worries him
ssssnnnnniiiiickkkkkkk sssssssnnnnnnnaaaaaacccckkkkkkkkkk
Clearly Scott Morrison’s religious upbringing denied him access to some ancient wisdom – prevention is better than cure,
Prevention has been ignored and now the patient may be beyond being cured.
Why, Oh, Why, does this pathetic federal government not take up the Canadian governments offer of their water bombing planes sitting in mothballs over there ?
They could be over here in one week.
Today,. it was reported that in the next few days the fires could cross the Victorian border and link up with those in N.S.W and create another mega-fire.
If the Labor party suggests the above, they will be accused by the weakest P.M. ( Morrison), this country has EVER had, of playing politics.
Unfortunately it is up to the media to highlight the fact that this reactionary govt. will do nothing,but re.act only after the damage has occurred. Sadly the media does not have the guts, as they are in the pocket of this terrible mob of traitors.
Red sky at night
Sailors delight
Red sky at dawn
Sailor be warned
Red sky all night and day
Sailor alert ,Climate in disarray
Every day we wake up to a heartless, brainless gutless government, led by a superstitious self inflating manifestation of a penis. Every day, sense should prevail, emerge, be clear and obvious. Everyday, we comment in anger at the absolute criminality of turds and traitors to this nation and the planet, posing in office and leaders and representatives, defectives in fact. Conservative positions and policy are nothing but greed, pose, vanity, righteous ratbaggery, hypocritical fraud, useless inaction. Denounce these arseholes and fight for action, justice, honesty, progress, decency, above all, change, as soon as possible.
Trying for a bit of bare truth… I believe the Morrison government would (privately, out of sight of the wider public) welcome a breakdown of international climate agreements, would celebrate Australia’s exports of coal and gas going up, are unconcerned and un-alarmed at our 1.3% domestic share of global emissions going up and are pleased that China and India and others keep building new coal plants.
I have no doubt the busy schedule Morrison has planned for visits to India and Japan will feature encouraging more use of Australian coal and gas. Far from prompting stronger climate policy, the dried up and burned out ruins of swathes of Australian agriculture – exacerbated past all past experiences by global warming – will underpin greater determination to support coal and gas extraction, not commitment to climate action. Efforts to de-legitimise climate activism in the eyes of voters will be unrelenting.
I see the prominence of environmentalists in climate and energy debate as more a case of those who actually have the greatest power, influence and most of all responsibility ceding the issues and the podium in a “raising them up to tear them down” exercise. Expecting environment “extremists” to propose things deemed objectionable – like phase out coal and gas mining or energy taxes – is the point. Avoiding offering up more nuanced and less objectionable alternatives themselves adds to perceptions that environmentalists are unreasoning extremists; that the expert advice gives overwhelming reason for people to be concerned, that the issues can be acknowledge and addressed without resort to extremist ideology – without environmentalists at all – is why they are so determined to make the issue about extreme environmentalists. It is political ground they feel strong on – whereas climate and energy being treated as an issue about basic responsibility and accountability, with corporate responsibility and accountability featuring highly, is harder to fight.
For all that I think environmentalists have done well by us I do not think they are capable of giving us the policy solutions we need – not for lack of good ideas and goodwill but for sitting outside the institutions that matter most.
I hate to think where we would be if they had not kept going on about climate change; for sure there has been very little sign of any mainstream political groupings, left, centre or right going on about it for it’s own sake.
And so it begins.
We’re still in stage 1 – the horror, concern and disbelief at the devastation but many have already advanced to stage 2 – the anger and frustration at seeming inaction and response.
However social media and squark-back hate radio is already well into Stage 3 – the search for the guilty and blamestorming. They are already on their preferred bandwagons pointing fingers at Greens and the UN – even “aborigines who seem not to be helping fight fires alongside us”. The list seems endless.
This noise will continue all the way to the start of the next fire season.
Gillard was pilloried for introducing a short-term levy to assist Queensland flood victims. I wonder how brave Morrison will be to risk his sacred surplus for the sake of decency and humanity?
Not enough for MorriScum to cowardly scuttle away to Hawaii right after his offensive, flippant remark about volunteer firefighters “being there just because they want to be there!”; Not enough for MorriScum and the despicable NSW State LNP to defund firefighting resources to the tune of $40 MILLION DOLLARS at a time when our nation is suffering the WORST climate-change induced fires and drought on record (see links below);
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-05/fact-check-are-nsw-firefighters-facing–budget-cuts/11747396
Not enough that the LNP (at State and federal level) are PRIVATISING all our water; using taxpayer dollars to FUND dams for PRIVATE USE of foreign corporate predators! Not enough that the raving lunatics in the National Party (eg Barnyard Joyce) have handed precious water in our Murray/Darling on a platter to foreign-owned cotton growers in his electorate of northern NSW and just about destroyed our longest river system in the bargain with a fish kill exceeding BILLIONS!
Not enough for these smug, totally corrupt and callously inhumane grubs in the LNP to CLOSE FIRE STATIONS all over NSW which is now burning to the ground! (see firefighters’ facebook page link below)
https://www.facebook.com/no.firefighter.inside/
https://www.smh.com.au/national/station-closures-put-lives-at-risk-firefighters-say-20130823-2sha3.html
NOW we have this unspeakable bible-thumping Pentecostal HYPOCRITE desperate to get his smug mug on the television by SQUEEEEZING every bit of glib, insincere publicity he can get out of other people’s tragic misfortune for political expediency!
NOW we have MorriScum using and ABUSING his role as the laziest, most USELESS, pontificating prime monster in our political history in a shameful, spectacularly phony display of psuedo-compassion (which, no doubt, had his expensive “empathy consultants” working overtime at double pay). Morrison’s nauseating, condescending monologues ALWAYS end up sounding like a patronising, paternalistic pastor lecturing a pack of naughty two year olds! How dare this grub tell Australians “now is not the time to panic” – who the f**k is HE to make such statements? Has any one of HIS multi-millionaire homes ever been threatened by fire? Has he – or ANYONE in the supercilious LNP cabinet – EVER had any one of their numerous properties burnt to the ground? Have ANY of these sneering, stone-cold sociopaths EVER had the heartbreaking experience of losing EVERYTHING they own?
Has any one of these lecturing political leeches (with the exception of Tony Abbott) EVER put their hand up to volunteer as an emergency fire fighter? Of course, Morrison’s answer to the last question was: “Hey mate, I can’t hold a hose!” …. this callous, frivolous remark was reported all over the world (see link below) FURTHER embarrassing our nation as a country labouring under the fascist jackboot of a government so crass, so cruel and SO DISCONNECTED from the tragedies, heartache and suffering of its citizens, it BEGGARS belief!
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/10595958/australia-fires-pm-dont-hold-hose-mate-quizzed-why-holiday-killer-blazes/
Please, PLEASE, PLEEEEEEASE Australia! Don’t forget this level of breathtaking arrogance and inhumanity at the next NSW State and federal elections! It is time for the self-serving, climate-change-denying fascists in the WORST government in living memory to get KICKED TO THE KERB!
Kathryn, I might use that. 😀