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Canberra Today 13°/16° | Friday, March 29, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

Letters / Scientists and their inconvenient facts

I HAVE to say I did enjoy John Smith’s contribution as a retired scientist on climate action (“Voters’ climate action ignorance comes at a price”, CN, May 16). He is a good illustration of scientists being the source of critical but inconvenient facts.

I have had similar themed discussions with engineers who have had to manage electricity production and distribution systems. Seeing China and India as number 1 and 2 coal burners in the world first hand, and clumsy European energy actions, there is an almost dystopic clamour for action and a lack of understanding of the logistics.

The ACT can be nation leading as we can buy up renewable energy all over the country, as we don’t have any serious hard-to-reduce, CO2-producing energy industries.

The clamour for climate emergencies seems to ignore reality and I am constantly struck by the wishful (and ill-informed) thinking of many. We do need to reduce carbon emissions with integrated energy systems, but do so without masses of surplus capacity and dysfunction.

We can only hope we see more climate action, but action that actually works as opposed to more and unhelpful hot air.

Martin Gordon, Dunlop

Vacuous zealotry trumps good science

WELL done retired CSIRO scientist John Smith on his article on climate change (“Voters’ climate action ignorance comes at a price”, CN, May 16).

I never cease to be astonished at the ignorance of normally intelligent people on this subject. It is a pity that we do not have more authoritative voices on this subject in public discourse.

I fear we will have to learn the hard way that alarmist views that would have us risk our prosperity in the futile hope of changing the climate is more about vacuous zealotry than good science or engineering.

Denzil Bourne, Jerrabomberra

New date for fool’s day?

I KNOW that governments decide when the seasons change, ie winter starts June 1 etcetera.  

But I didn’t realise that Ms Sally Barnes, CEO of the National Capital Authority, can change the date of April Fool’s Day from April 1 to May 22 with the announcement of the consideration of demolishing Commonwealth Avenue Bridge to make a completely new bridge to accommodate the tram.

Cedric Bryant, Watson

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