Age letters 11/6/2014

Abbott’s tipping point

Mr Abbott has passed a curious tipping point. While the scientific evidence has grown ever more compelling that humans are causing dangerous global warming, he has crossed the threshold of runaway climate change denial. This has taken the disturbing form of international denialist diplomacy, blowing hot air on a global emergency, undermining international action, and compounding denial of the science with denial that climate change is an economic issue (refer Sir Nicholas Stern and Professor Ross Garnaut), or that other nations are acting (refer the US and China, among many others).

Sadly, Mr Abbott’s minor place on the world stage disproportionately amplifies the damage of his climate arrogance and ignorance just as the less common but more potent greenhouse gases such as methane amplify global warming.

Darren Lewin-Hill, Northcote

PM out on limb

Tony Abbott seems to assume that as a fellow conservative, UK Prime Minister David Cameron shares his anti carbon-tax views. But Mr Abbott is out on a limb as an anti-science ideologue. He seems to have forgotten that in 2011, Mr Cameron congratulated then-PM Julia Gillard on the carbon tax, as reported in The Age: ”Mr Cameron praised the Australian Prime Minister’s carbon plan as bold, ambitious, and a spur to other nations.”

Jill Baird, North Melbourne

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/comment/the-age-letters/old-school-values-are-all-about-segregation-20140610-39vf9.html#ixzz34qOLbwFO