“Increasing public transport patronage does not in itself reduce greenhouse emissions,” says letter writer LEON ARUNDELL, a former board member of the Conservation Council.

CANBERRA’S most important form of transport is the car. Each day the average Canberran drives 18 kilometres, travels six kilometres as a car passenger, and travels two kilometres by bus.

Local transport accounts for four per cent of the ACT’s total carbon footprint.

The average nine-kilometre car trip takes twenty minutes. A driver who travels alone causes 2.5 kilograms of CO2-e emissions. When a driver and a passenger travel together, they cause 1.25 kilograms of CO2-e emissions each.

The average 10-kilometre public transport trip takes 45 minutes, and causes more than two kilograms of CO2-e emissions per passenger. In 2020-21, the average public transport trip caused 3.5 kilograms of CO2-e emissions.

Increasing public transport patronage does not in itself reduce greenhouse emissions. Many of the extra passengers will be people who would otherwise have walked, cycled or travelled as car passengers.

The government’s planned replacement of Canberra’s fossil-fuelled buses with electric buses will cost a third as much as Stage 2 of light rail, and will cut emissions by 37,000 tonnes per year.

The ACT government estimated that each dollar invested in Stage 1 of light rail would provide $1.20 worth of benefits. That compares with its estimates of $2 to $4 for bus rapid transit, and only 60 cents for stage 2 of light rail.

Strangely, the government’s August 2022 “ACT Transport Recovery Plan Refresh” provides none of the above information.

Leon Arundell, former Conservation Council board member, Downer.

Put health ahead of the ‘ruinous’ tram

HAVING heard on Sydney radio about the deleterious state of the ACT health system, especially of the allegedly unnecessary deaths of two children in recent days – it’s time messrs Rattenbury, Barr and Steel, tear up the nonsensical agreements to build the ruinous light rail system. 

Our health system and other more important priorities of the city demand it. As for your parties, neither would suffer voter backlash but, rather, receive the grateful thanks of long-suffering taxpayers, seeing very little for their contribution being so wilfully wasted for zero effect on climate change. Be statesmen, not serfs to ineffective ideologies.

Max Flint, co-ordinator, Smart Canberra Transport

Thank you, Paul Costigan for speaking up

THANK you to Paul Costigan for speaking out in “CityNews” about our neighbour’s new development at 18 Darke Street, Torrens.

We have been pleased to have support from the media and some politicians but notably NONE from the Labor MLAs or any representatives from ACT Planning.

I want the planners, politicians and developers to know that I support the building of dual occupancy BUT not at the expense of MY privacy and right to quiet enjoyment of MY property.

I don’t think this is too much to ask.

Ros Lockley, Torrens

Much more to be done on club gambling

WHILE I endorse columnist Michael Moore’s concerns about the gambling industry’s TV advertising (“The goal is – like tobacco – to get kids hooked”, CN September 1), there are additional concerns about the gambling industry’s attempts to recruit children. 

As Dr Moore points out, there are similarities with the tobacco industry in getting children hooked. An effective way of doing this – whether it is tobacco, alcohol or gambling – is to create social norms and to expose children to those norms as they grow up, thereby normalising the behaviour. 

In the ACT, we have many licensed clubs, with their colourful and noisy poker machine areas, deliberately attracting families to the venue with low-cost meals and even children’s play areas. 

As a result, many families think nothing of holding children’s birthday celebrations in these clubs. Once there, children become conditioned to accept gambling as just another activity in the venue that they will be able to do when they are older. 

What they see is an activity which is attractive to adults – not an activity which, for so many, results in addiction and harm. 

Dr Moore’s point is that “there are things that government can do to regulate the industry”. Yes, licensed clubs should be encouraged to reduce their reliance on poker machine revenue. 

However, the reality is that as long as poker machines exist in these venues, there is much more that can and should be done beyond the regulation of advertising. 

Karina Morris, Weetangera 

Time the Civic pool got some love

IN his latest retreat from the Civic option for a stadium, the chief minister again failed to publicly acknowledge what a weary swimming public has known from the beginning – that this option would first require the actual provision nearby of a modern, easily accessible public swimming centre.The ACT government would be aware of the need to budget for the latter in Civic anyway, because, like the much-neglected AIS Arena, the current and limited swimming complex has received minimum levels of maintenance for many years.

If there are no secret plans firming up to bulldoze this city block for another 500 revenue-raising apartments, the current pool precinct should at least receive a large, high-quality dose of catch-up TLC now.

However, leaving aside stadium size and siting issues, it is hard not to wonder if the ACT government’s latest stadium position is driven by the hope that most of any additional Commonwealth infrastructure and facilities funding over the next few years can be channelled straight into Canberra’s growing financial “black hole”, namely the increasingly expensive, contentious, and disruptive Stages 2a and 2b of light rail.

Sue Dyer, Downer 

Increase fines for e-scooter infringements

I AM concerned about the proliferation of e-scooters and the manner in which they are ridden and parked. With scooters soon to be expanded to many more regions, something has to be done – and soon. 

I would suggest that a good start would be to greatly increase infringement fines for riders, also the impounding of scooters deemed to be parked in an obstructive or dangerous manner, only to be released to the providers of the service, Neuron and Beam, upon payment of a very hefty fine. With e-scooter related injuries to both riders and pedestrians rapidly rising, the problem has to be addressed as a matter of urgency .

Mario Stivala, Belconnen

Without fossil fuels development will grind to halt

WITH all due respect to Gavin O’Brien (Letters, CN September 1), his letter would have more credibility if he did not engage in rhetoric.

He is entitled to his belief in man-made climate change. I do not agree with him from my own studies in meteorology, astronomy and science.

His timeline observation of 40 years is incredibly short. He makes no allowance for:

• the effect of volcanic emissions on the Earth’s atmosphere; 
• changes in the earth’s orbit;
• changes in the sun’s radiation output; 
• shifting of the Earth’s magnetic poles; 
• the “adjustment” of past meteorological readings to suit the current “adopted narrative”.

His arguments that fossil fuels are not “clean” can be equally applied to renewables, perhaps even more so. Mining of these materials and their by-products can also be very damaging to the environment.

Heavily subsidised renewable energy sources using limited rare earth materials have a very limited lifespan AND, contrary to Mr O’Brien’s beliefs, most materials are not recycled but dumped in landfill! 

The limited supply of these materials required in this industry means they will not be able to provide the required power sources for future generations. 

However, more importantly renewable energy cannot presently provide a stable reliable baseload power supply.

Disappointingly, Mr O’Brien then trots out the old nuclear-power scare mongering. If he was truly serious about “clean” energy with minimal environmental impact he would not be disregarding this potential resource and the advances made in the nuclear industry so quickly.

Mr O’Brien wants to live in a utopia that is not available without cheap reliable energy. Present indications seem to point to a change to a very expensive lifestyle where only the very rich will be able to afford the energy costs to make their lives bearable.

Fossil fuel energy has improved the lives of billions of people by providing cheap reliable power. Advancements in technology have made this energy even cheaper and more reliable as well as dramatically reducing by-products. Renewables would not be possible without fossil fuels.

Without fossil fuels development and advancement will grind to a halt. The by-products of fossil fuels are in every aspect of life today. These by-products cannot be substituted by renewables. Limiting and making fossil fuels more expensive by various means will stifle scientific advancement and condemn future generations to a much poorer lifestyle in so many ways.

Robert Kerby, Kambah

Australia will regret renewable technology

CLIMATOLOGIST Gavin O’Brien’s response (Letters, CN September 1) to my attack on the “Renewable Energy Fantasy” (Letters, CN August 18) has turned the issue of note into the evils of fossil-based energy generation.

This is the usual response by the theoreticians in the climate Industry to avoid discussion on the accuracy of climate modelling etcetera.

My main point was the need for Australia to embrace nuclear power. The irrefutable logic of this course of action was clear even while I studied Civil Engineering in the ’60s, at UNSW.

At that time vice-chancellor, Sir Philip Baxter, as head of the Atomic Energy Commission, had the Jervis Bay nuclear power station under construction, footings on site!

Had it been completed, Australia had the potential then to be a true leader in the nuclear technology industry from mining to storage, in the world’s most stable geology.

Then, as only more recently now, the true value of uranium is being re-evaluated as a resource that, if not utilised, would be lost to Asian powers. Sounds familiar!

Australia will eventually regret our embrace of cheap renewable solar and turbine technology. We will become the dumping ground for this toxic waste, while the rest move on.

Nuclear storage is space efficient and ready for future reprocessing to enhance its true value.

AUKUS initiatives will depend on a home-based nuclear industry.

Gavin, unless AUKUS is realised it is likely your descendants will speak a Chinese dialect.

Ken Murtagh, Hughes

Questions over methane numbers

RE the letter by Dr Douglas Mackenzie (Letters CN September 1): Dr Mackenzie is right when he says that methane is a “global warming gas 30 times more potent than CO2”. 

However, William van Wijngaarden, an atmospheric physicist from York University Canada, in a NZ podcast that I heard recently said we are emitting 300 times more CO2 into the atmosphere than methane. The net effect of increasing methane is 30 divided by 300 or 1/10 that of CO2.

Christopher Rule, Conder

Build the new stadium in Tuggeranong

THE now abandoned Civic site for a new stadium was always a sad compromise, being too cramped, disrespectful, and very expensive, intrusive, and disruptive to build on; and the Civic pool complex would be lost. The not-cheap Bruce Stadium upgrade alternative involves substantial “down time”, and will always be an out-of-date compromise. 

Vacant land on Athllon Drive in the Tuggeranong Town Centre, already zoned for the purpose, and right on the future tram line, offers a wide range of synergies for a new, affordable, say, rectangular-style, all-weather stadium. The site, opposite the swimming pool, is plenty large enough, near existing sporting, accommodation, parking, and convention facilities, with room for more. 

It’s a quintessentially readily accessible “destination” site, in a beautiful lake and mountain setting. This iconic location would express the classical decentralised character of Canberra, and be readily recognised as such throughout the world. 

Make it an ecological architectural and engineering exemplar, with solar energy and batteries, wind turbines, water tanks, and renewable materials. As occurred in the development of Tuggeranong Town Centre itself, any heritage items could be preserved and/or referenced in the development.

The Vikings Rugby Club, for example, could be based there; and its vacated land at Wanniassa would be ideal for much-needed residential redevelopment, with sales helping to fund the new stadium complex. Extant Bruce Stadium could remain for athletics, and a range of overflow sporting uses, concerts etcetera; with Manuka Oval for cricket and Australian Rules Football. 

Jack Kershaw, Kambah

Depressed by the climate denialists

I GET very depressed when I read letters from people, such as those from Vi Evans (CN August 25), who refuse to accept the science around climate change. 

Yes, some countries are far too slow to take up the challenges that face us because too many people like Vi demand the maintenance of the status quo. Far easier to paint a grim picture of a future without any of our creature comforts.

What’s worse though is that the “climate denialists” are certainly in denial by refusing to realise that, if we do nothing, there may not even be any habitable caves, and certainly not any people to live in them. But then, who cares about the future, when we are “relaxed and comfortable” today (or some of us are)? 

Eric Hunter, Cook

Realistic picture of global warming

I refer to “Back to the caves for activists”, a letter from Vi Evans (CN August 25). The author has produced a realistic picture of the consequence of global warming. 

Needless to say that it is not forbidden to formulate statements that so far no organisation has been able to truly establish as well as Vi Evans.

M Amar, Mawson

Who knows what other wonders will come?

THE article “Little to show for all that heavenly hope” by Robert Macklin (CN September 8), in particular the accompanying image from the James Webb space telescope, brought to mind the first spectacular image that was received on Earth.

Near the centre of that image was a cluster of galaxies resembling a ball of shiny dust. Not far above that “ball” was a seemingly large pancake-shaped spiral galaxy that appeared to be draped over the cluster like a fried egg.

That was the result of the “lensing” phenomenon where light from an object “behind” the cluster is refracted by the enormous gravitational effect of the galaxy cluster. Yet more proof of Albert Einstein’s First Theory of Relativity. 

Who knows what other wonders James Webb will reveal?

Dr Douglas Mackenzie, Deakin

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