Where Are We Failing?

It is 10 years since the devastating fires of Black Saturday, when scores of people died, millions of hectares of property was burned and billions of dollars worth of assets razed. Many people have never recovered from the trauma of the event.

Now, Bush Fires are all around us and we are just one third of the way through summer. I am beginning to wonder if we are becoming immune to the horror, just as an abattoir worker becomes closed to the suffering of animals.

We look back on great civilizations past and talk about how fire engulfed Rome as the last days of the empire arrived. Are we standing on an edge that we cannot see because of smoke and grotesque waistlines, or because we are distracted by devices?

Here is the case put simply. When the Amazon burned, over 900,000 Hectares was razed. The ensuing storm in the "twittersphere" brought cries of horror that seemed to stir politicians from their slumber. When Notre Dame Cathedral went up in flames, the world was so shocked that a campaign launched by the French President raised $1 Billion within a week. And the Cathedral was only damaged, not destroyed.

Here in Australia, the fires burning in New South wales and Queensland in recent weeks have destroyed nearly 3.5 million hectares of land, nearly four times that of the Amazon fires. In Victoria, we are seeing fires so intense that they are creating their own weather and literally driving thousands of helpless people into the sea.

And still we read in the Murdoch Press, and listen to the self righteous "lost-in-their-minds" conservative commentators preaching to us that climate change is some sort of leftist myth.

We seem to be stuck in a Mexican standoff that has no resolution in site. Climate experts come onto the radio or the TV and give us their learned point of view. Then conservative broadcasters tell us why these people are wrong. Then we are left wondering.

And as each year goes by - more fires and more climate anomalies. Is it climate change? I don't know. But neither does anyone else know for sure. None of us know what the future holds. Discussing whether climate change is a reality is like discussing the existence of God. Nobody knows for certain. We are left to ponder our own beliefs.

This is where it gets tricky because if we believe one thing, and we love to feel right about what we believe, and we have no curiosity in or interest for what the other person believes, then we are of no use in the discussion. Flexibility in thinking and viewpoint is the only way I know of that brings gifted minds together to find solutions.

Obstinate righteousness creates conflict, fear immobility.

A society is in grave danger when those standing in the most self righteous stance, also have the loudest voice. I admire Mr Murdoch's capacity to create himself and his followers into such a position.

But, we do have elected Governments. Surely they are in place to govern for the people and to be the custodians of the future of the planet. I would have thought that goes with the job. I think if ever I went into Government that would be my inspiration and the guiding post for my own moral compass.

I cannot criticize though because I know that a career in politics is not for me. So I will try to discuss and ask questions instead of criticizing.

It seems however, that many of these things become corrupted when a person finds themselves in a position of power. Barry Jones describes it eloquently in his book, "Courageous Government". Priorities change. Holding on to power and keeping benefactors happy can lead to decisions being made against one's moral code that trap a politician in a seat of power where they no longer have any power. Someone else has them. Clever lobbyists work to this end for their employers.

The question I have for our country's leaders is this. "What if we as a country decided that for the next 20 years, we will run the country on the belief that climate change is real?" (After all, the western world has run for 2000 years on the belief that God is real). What would be the downside? A few industries might be disadvantaged, or even might falter, but new ones will also appear. That is how things go. See, things probably could not get worse than they are so why not give it a go?

However, if we do take that path, we need to learn to discuss and share perspectives. Nobody enjoys being made wrong. I certainly don't. For example, why do we attack the coal industry. I would argue that a better way is to realise that Coal is the only resource we can use for smelting steel. So we need to preserve our supplies for future generations. That in itself is an argument for ceasing using it to fire power stations, and for the ongoing care of the industry.

If we do go down this path though, I am guessing that some Politicians and others will have to show the hand they are really playing. What are they actually doing with water rights for example. What are the deals that have been done that prevent them from declaring an environmental emergency. It will take courage and honesty, but we as a nation are brilliant in our capacity to forgive.

I invite Mr Morrison and Mr Albanese, and all of their colleagues to declare an amnesty, step up and reveal all, and bring everything and everyone into the open. Then we can take a look at things as they are and bring our wisest and cleverest people in to help us map a path forward.

It feels like now is as good a time as ever. "Scotty Fiddled while Australia burned" just doesn't have a nice ring to it at all."

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