If there is a positive to draw from what is happening to us this Australian summer, it is that for climate deniers, this is, thus far, their worst nightmare and that no longer will anyone take their absurd, unqualified ramblings seriously.
If we should realize just one thing in life, it is that we are here, on this earth, as guests of Mother Nature. We are not her master and by continually abusing her good and generous hospitality, we have justifiably aroused her anger.
As one would expect from any landlady who has decided enough is enough, Mother Nature is pushing back. She is reacting, not pro-acting. She is doing so to demonstrate her power over us. We are but children misbehaving in a manner that is no longer tolerable and we are being given a severe warning.
This summer, for those of us in Australia, she has decided to show her hand.
Make no mistake, this is not some divine retribution from an angry deity that some religious nut-cases will surely begin to proclaim. This is not someone’s all powerful male god punishing his people for their sins. This is a real and present response to a real and present abuse of tenancy, by a real and present, angry landlady.
Those fools who argue that it is useless to act unilaterally to mitigate climate change, or that our emissions are but a drop in the ocean when compared with other nations, are now receiving their wake-up call.
Mother Nature doesn’t see it that way.
These fires we are witnessing, have already emitted more than our annual greenhouse gas emissions for the year 2020, not to mention the heartbreak and suffering of those personally affected.
Our prime minister’s pathetic attempts to show empathy for the victims, demonstrates how distant he and his coalition partners are from reality. They are now like those in the lifeboats of the Titanic, who foolishly claimed their ship was unsinkable, watching as it goes down.
Will climate deniers ever again dare to deny the reality of their foolishness? Yes, I suspect they will. But will anyone bother to listen? I doubt it. What can we expect now from our leaders who have thus far resisted upsetting their coal loving masters?
Just watch, as they choose their words very carefully from now on. Just watch the knee-jerk reactions, as ideology gives way to pragmatism and the reality dawns that votes are now seriously at risk. Just watch as the money begins to flow, money that was earmarked to be banked for Josh Frydenberg’s precious surplus.
There’s nothing like a severe warning from one’s mistress, one’s landlady, for a tenant to take stock. I can’t see it lasting, however. Our government will need a bit more than a bush fire, a naval rescue operation, a financial package, or a surplus gone up in smoke, before they surrender their corporate coal-driven ideology.
But Mother Nature isn’t finished. The damage we have already done, damage that cannot be restored, damage that still has to be accounted for, will yet see her angry hand come crashing down somewhere. Did anyone notice that Norway experienced a temperature of 19 degrees Celsius two days ago? In the middle of Winter??
Whether it be here in Australia or some other part of her very finely, ecologically balanced planet, she will need to react again and again, until her guests get the message. Or, if we don’t, we will have more of the same to look forward to, ever more ferocious, ever more destructive.
Mother Nature is pushing back. She will protect her planet above all else, even to the point of eviction, should she consider it necessary. So, take it that we have been warned.
Or don’t and do nothing. Mother Nature is waiting impatiently, it would seem, for some real and positive response.
Make no mistake though, the next disaster is already on its way.
[textblock style=”7″]
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!
Your contribution to help with the running costs of this site will be gratefully accepted.
You can donate through PayPal or credit card via the button below, or donate via bank transfer: BSB: 062500; A/c no: 10495969
[/textblock]
You’ve nailed it John. Mess with Mother Nature and we know who comes off second best.
I have just emailed my local member expressing my disgust and asking what she is doing to help convince her party that we need action now. I suggest we all bombard our MPs with emails now. They aren’t school kids. They don’t get six weeks holidays.
Like your analogy of the Titanic and lifeboats John,and you could be certain it would be the Liar and his minions elbowing their way to those lifeboats,shouting “Men and cowards first”.Let these egregious mongrels drown in their own ordure.
John Kelly, I don’t share your optimism about the reaction of the government to this disaster. With the entire mass-media in their pocket, repeating their spin 24/7 wall-to-wall, they will soon convince everyone that:
(a) Australia has always had bushfires and this was nothing new
(b) the fault lies with “greenies” and Labor who prevented hazard-reduction burning
(c) the “climate alarmists” are trying to politicise people’s hardship to gain support for their “cult”
Watch closely and tell me if I am wrong. Propaganda is very powerful, when there is no one to oppose it.
I wonder how many people now will admit to having voted LNP at the last election.
Even now we are hearing hollow words from Taylor and Morrison, disciples of Nero.You know things are getting grim when Liberal politicians begin to attack Morrison.
Richard Flannery has just had an article published in the New York Times, people overseas must be shaking their heads at the incompetence of the LNP “government”.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/03/opinion/australia-fires-climate-change.html?fbclid=IwAR2D0u_PyPxXKiDhyQBAc-1OCfVGuBszd9vx-97zE8YCyK1Q4P-k4WV3KFc
One look at Scotty’s captain’s pick, Craig Kelly’s facebook page shows that even this disaster has not changed their minds.
“Firstly, in the climate debate the only ‘deniers’ are those that deny the fact that there nothing we can do in Australia ‘’to mitigate the effects of climate change’’ (i.e : there is nothing we can do to stop bad weather).
Australia produces around 1.2% of global Co2 (and Co2 equivalent) emissions and less than 33% of that 1.2% comes from electricity generation.
Irrespective of how Co2 levels control global temperatures, a ‘belief’ that if we in Australia buy more solar panels and wind turbines from China, that this will ‘mitigate climate change’, stop droughts and bushfires is voodoo science, a superstitious belief akin to believing in fairies at the bottom of garden.
Secondly, our recorded history and the Greenland ice cores show that the climate has always changed, and the question ‘’do you believe in climate change ?’’ is nothing other than to set up a ‘straw man’ debate.
The ‘action’ we need to be taking to deal with our ever changing climate including;
Putting more resources into increasing hazard reduction burns and fire breaks, especially as Co2 induced global greening is increasing vegetation.
Keeping energy costs as low possible to ensure that air-conditioning and heating is not a luxury item.
Repeal the prohibition on nuclear power in Australia, not to build a nuclear plant tomorrow, but to send the message that Australia is serious in researching in all things nuclear.
And to those that are calling for ‘’more action’’ need to state;
* Exactly what they are want,
* How much it will cost,
* Who will pay,
* And most importantly, by how many degrees it will change the temperature, by how many millimeters it will change rainfall and sea level – and what effect it will have on bad weather.
https://www.facebook.com/CraigKellyMP/
Reading the comments is enough to make you cry. This idiot needs to be sanctioned by the man who installed him.
(And he could also do with a course in literacy.)
Totaram,
Agree,
Further down the crazy hole, the latest claims doing the rounds are;
*Political Greens are infiltrating local councils to subvert/sabotage hazard reduction programs.
*Extremist greenies are deliberately setting these ecological holocausts, vandalising the natural environment with acts of deliberate arson in order to try and force their climate change agenda.
As one radio host said, if this much death and destruction had been caused by terrorism, we’d have had a State of Emergency weeks ago, our airports would be under the control of army and we’d likely be on a war footing. But it’s “only” a “natural” disaster, so we don’t need to get excited.
Kaye have a look at some worker’s sites??
Here is a male and female answer to criticism of scummo.
problems on Manus were caused by the Doctors who F**ked up, Chinese and Indians will burn coal from whoever will sell it to them, better to have clean coal from Australia while we promote Renewable, Gay rights just a personal preference nothing special we are all equal with the same Human Rights. Morrison is at least a gentleman not like the Labor lot in the NT who deliberately persecute women. Disgusting
Typical SMH Crap, it called the Weather and has been going on for as long as the Earth has existed. Blame overpopulation of people living in amongst the forests in untenable situations, lack of fire reduction burning when able to do so, locking up National Parks, in 6 months this will all be forgotten UNTILL the next time it happens. God bless the Firies! (this man used to rail against the loonies but that tact is missing. Maybe my rantings may have had an affect??)
Keith workers may be ruing their vote but these people have access to many workers and fan the fires of labor’s debt and economic failure.
Kaye Lee has pointed out some comments attributed to the drivelling drunkard Craig Kelly, a notorious drenched lay catholic ratbag who is full of corporate copulation and blathering bullshit. Such people have been raised and indoctrinated so as to never ever know truth, not ever again. Go to a sty and talk to a slow witted pig, for better attitudes and conversation than Craig Kelly, a disgraceful dickhead.Mussolini lives…
It might seem callous of me wam, but I kind of hope you live in a bushfire ravaged area.
You must be out of your mind
cb: Yes, right on cue. And here is a compendium of the Murdoch-orchestrated denialism:
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2020/jan/04/the-australian-murdoch-owned-newspaper-accused-of-downplaying-bushfires-in-favour-of-picnic-races
Craig Kelly isn’t going to change until he is actually put on a torture rack or something similar, so no need to consider his views. Maurice Newman will continue to warn us about the impending ice age and Tony Abbot has said Climate Science is a “cult”, and so on.
The point I wish to make is that there is more of this bullshit than sensible ideas and it wins through overwhelming saturation of the media.
It looks like Flinders Chase on Kangaroo Island is gone. Flinders Chase – a national park – was spread over about a quarter of the island. It was natures’s paradise with a koala in just about every tree. Gone.
Gone too are the ancient (and perhaps yet undiscovered) campsites from the Kartan culture dating back 20,000 years.
“Kartan” comes from the word “Karta”; the name given to the island by the mainland Aborigines. In what is a cruel twist, Karta means “Island of the Dead.”
Michael,
Sad to hear, it hurts the heart when places to which you feel connected suffer such harm.
I have had the last week off, and normally I would have used the opportunity to take my swag up into the hills for a few days of forest-diving in the cool temperate montane forests to the west of where I live.
However, since these once moist and mossy forests are now mostly charred desolate wastelands, there was incentive to turn the key and burn petrol on a journey that would only feed my gloom, so I spent the majority of my time-off pottering around the house, yard and neighbouring creek reserve.
Here’s to the hope of some rain.
Thank you, corvus. Forest-bathing is something I too like to enjoy.
Rain is forecast here for tomorrow and Monday, but first we have to get through a 46 degree day.
Perhaps some of the posts above underestimate the influence a big fright can have. Propagandists like the paper boy of limited news are able to ‘fool some of the people …’ The hundreds of thousands directly affected by the nightmarish power of the fires will be hard on the bullshit, as scum mo will attest.
Apart from the Morrison and David Elliot (the truant NSW disaster minister) there is another delinquent politician who deserves a big bitch-slap for turning tail and running off when things started to get hot.
NSW deputy premier (and Minister for fish kills and frog deaths) John Barilaro has, being the heartless arsehole that he is, flown off to Old Blighty for a holiday in the middle of our national emergency.
However, unlike the other 2, this cowardly cock-wad is in no hurry to cut short his leisurely pleasures to come back and pretend to help, but has instead chosen to remain on holiday and tweet his ‘advice and opinions’ from a hotel room 1/2 a world away.
Mr Barilaro, even for a man of abysmal expectations, you never fail to disappoint.
Keitha Granville,
You are not the only person thinking such uncharitable thoughts.
I have long concluded that wam (aka Billy Moir) contributes little to nothing of actual informational worth to most discussions, but instead merely offers up a routine rehashed repetition (repetition, repeat, repetition) of brayed opinions and petty sledges wrapped up within incomprehensibly garbled gibberish.
Sometimes wam acts as a proxy spokesperson for bigots and ignoramuses, sometime wam peddles his own pap.
Where specific verifiable claims have been made, 2 minutes on google has usually shown them to be complete falsehoods.
Basically wam seems to be target-trolling some authors and articles by dumping pail after pail of stale cut & paste slops onto the comment threads in order to gain some kind of sour satisfaction from disrupting the ensuing discussions by provoking anger.
As someone who values this site for valid informational exchange, I find such intrusions to be worse than worthless, so I have gradually adopted a personal policy of deliberately ignoring the toxic word-salads tossed-off by the wam-troll.
Recently, however, the wam-troll seems to have developed a fixation upon me and taken to dribbling it’s demented drivel in my direction with increasing frequency, despite my repeated expressions of a lack of interest in, or resect for, what it has to say.
This can be rather irritating, which tends to cloud the mind and darken the mood, reducing levels of focus and concentration as well as the desire to continue with positive participation, but I guess that is the whole point behind such sledge-trolling, isn’t it?
How do we persuade others that this is a global issue, and – as citizens of Planet Earth – we are as obligated as anyone else to pull our weight. And if others are failing to do so, then it is in our own best interests that we pull even harder!