Frydenberg on emissions: With this logic, all we need are more people

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This was published 6 years ago

Frydenberg on emissions: With this logic, all we need are more people

Updated

Josh Frydenberg's letter (The Age, 20/1) tells us that per capita emissions are reducing and that we'll meet the commitment to the international agreement. The last time I looked, there was nothing about per capita emissions in the agreement. The commitment was to reduce Australia's total emissions by 28 per cent of 2005 levels. To quote from his own department's website: "This target represents a 50-52 per cent reduction in emissions per capita and a 64-65 per cent reduction in the emissions intensity of the economy between 2005 and 2030."

On Mr Frydenberg's logic, we could increase our emissions with impunity as long as we made big increases to our population. What next? Include tourists?

Illustration: Matt Golding

Illustration: Matt Golding

David Lamb, Kew East

Stop fiddling, the planet's burning up

Josh Frydenberg has no idea. His letter quotes many figures, about tonnes of carbon dioxide saved, number of cars off the road for a year, drops of emissions of around half a per cent, counting or not counting emissions from Kyoto, and other obfuscating stuff. It all added up to not nearly enough. Especially in the light of the news that 2017 was a record hot year, even without the driver of an El Nino to help.

It's time Mr Frydenberg and his cronies started to look clearly at the magnitude of the climate problem instead of fiddling around rearranging figures at the margins. His efforts are paltry in the face of the climate we will be experiencing within a decade, and his throwing figures up into the air and hoping that they land in his favour is a transparently self-interested act. The next generation, his kid's generation, will not thank him for his legacy. They'll be saying, "Gosh, Dad, couldn't you have looked ahead and acted for us?"

Jill Dumsday, Ashburton

When Frydenberg crows, smell a rat

Let's get one thing straight. The planet is warming because there are more carbon emissions in the atmosphere. It's the total emissions that cause this, not the amount per person. So every time Josh Frydenberg crows about emissions per capita decreasing, you can quite rightly smell a rat. He is trying to distract you from the fact that Australia's total emissions have continued to rise since the carbon tax was scrapped. Oh, except for the last quarter when emissions dipped. Surprising that Mr Frydenberg crows about the last quarter's results, rather than our performance in the other 10 quarters when emissions have steadily risen since Tony Abbott took charge of our approach to climate change.

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Australia is worsening the problem of climate change, not helping to solve it.

Joan Reilly, Surrey Hills

Introducing the minister for 'she'll-be-right'

A while ago there were doubts about Josh Frydenberg's citizenship. I think in his response to The Age's editorial on Australia's emissions he has proven he is Australian with his "she'll be right, mate" attitude.

Peter Carlin, Frankston South

As to reductions, it's a record of failure

Josh Frydenberg is misleading again in his letter. Australia's CO2 emissions in 2005 were 595 million tonnes. Emissions in 2030 would need to be less than 450 million tonnes to reach a 26-28 per cent reduction. In 2016, Mr Frydenberg's department projected Australia's emissions to increase to 600 million tonnes in 2030. The latest figures in 2017 from his department confirm the trend with a 1.3 per cent increase over the previous year to 550 million tonnes. His 294 million tonne exceeding the 2020 target is based on a very modest target of a 5 per cent reduction in emissions, produced by very significant reductions before 2013.

Since the election of his government, Australia has failed to produce any significant reduction. The record of his government is failure, failure, failure.

Wayne Robinson, Kingsley

THE FORUM

A proper watchdog, please

The decision by a court that the building watchdog cannot force shoddy builders to fix their work is astounding ("Cladding blow to owners", The Age, 20/1).

Surely builders are as liable for their end product as are other "builders", such as car manufacturers. What next, car manufacturers will no longer issue recalls on dangerous cars because once you get into it it's your problem not theirs?

As for the building "watchdog", how appropriately named is that. How about getting rid of one that just watches and getting one that actually bites!

Stephen Farrelly, Donvale

They are responsible

How is it that the builders are not responsible for repairing the estimated 1400 buildings – including eight public hospitals – on which they have installed non-compliant, flammable cladding? Is it justice that owners, or taxpayers, foot the bill?

The state Planning Minister, Richard Wynne, said last year the cladding crisis was part of a comprehensive failure by the building industry to self-regulate. Why should this dangerous and apparently illegal practice not be the responsibility of the people who made the decision to use these materials?

Bill Washington, Camberwell

The court got it wrong

The decision to make apartment owners pay for replacement of non-compliant cladding is simply wrong and should be vigorously challenged.

The whole construction business is a joke. Firstly, architects design buildings and specify what materials should be used. Then when the winning building contractor is appointed, they have their staff source similar substitute products to those specified to reduce the material cost and increase their margin. Sometimes these are submitted and approved by the relevant architects and sometimes not.

What would be interesting to find out, is what brand of cladding was specified in these cases. If a compliant brand was specified by the architects and a non-compliant brand was substituted, then the builder is clearly responsible. If the architect has allowed for non-compliant cladding to be used on a building they are supervising, then they are also at fault.

However, somehow the Supreme Court decides it is the apartment owner's responsibility. Don't let builders walk away from their responsibility to comply with the building code. After all it is their job.

Name withheld by request

Use common sense

What will it take for Australian tennis open officials to apply common sense to the health and safety of players on a match-by-match basis. Relying on hard-and-fast rules involving air temperature does not take into account players' state of health, medical conditions or indeed mental state. If a player is obviously distressed, the umpire must either suspend play or apply a forfeit. Both options are preferable to a player suffering permanent damage or death.

Geoff Phillips, Wonga Park

After the silence ...

When the warm up between Angelique Kerber and Maria Sharapova was on not a sound came out of Sharapova's mouth. Once the match started the shrieking commenced. Why is this so?

Thank goodness for the mute button!

Peter Thomas, Barwon Heads

Whoops

I had a sense of deja vu when looking at Saturday's (20/1) Target word. It was the same Target word as Friday. I know repeats on TV are all the go at this time of year, but really, does The Age have to follow suit? This robbed me of one of my early morning mental exercises.

Harry Kowalski, Ivanhoe

A suggested new date

The current date on which we mark Australia Day is probably going to be a source of rancour for years to come. Perhaps our political "leaders" could consider changing the date to July 9, the date on which royal assent was granted to the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900, thus establishing Australia as one country. Then, perhaps, we could all work together to better the lot of all our people.

David Thomson, fellow, Sir Zelman Cowen Centre, Victoria University, Melbourne

Name your date

Sorry, folks, but nothing stays the same forever. Even gold and granite change shape in certain circumstances. If it hadn't been the British, it would have been the French or the Dutch or some other entrepreneurial country.

Australians deeply regret the cruelties and mistakes of the past but now it's time to wise up and grasp the opportunities that are laid out before us all, made available by the hard labour of many nationalities. As for changing the date of our national day, I doubt there is a single day or date that hasn't in some way been influenced by the landing of Arthur Phillip and his mob in 1788.

Errolly Dibbs, Frankston South

True nature exposed

Threats made against Lydia Thorpe show just what sort of people support the celebration of "England Day" on January 26, and unfortunately they are are encouraged in their racist aggression by the words and actions of the Australian government.

John Laurie, Newport

Bordering on hypocritical

Before my life started, and up to half to two-thirds of it, Australia Day was almost never celebrated on January 26 . It was celebrated on a Monday each year, to simply make a long weekend. We never had any respect for it at all.

Having lived through that, I am now bemused to hear how precious we have become about the day. I do applaud the growth in patriotism, but, because of this history, find we are now bordering on being a bit hypocritical

Gerry Lonergan, Reservoir

Spot on, Greg Baum

I agree entirely with Greg Baum's recent article on the crass infantilising of the live sports experience ("World of sport is kidding itself", The Age, 20/1). So much of it seems intended to drive away spectators rather than attract them. If half of the extraneous rubbish that's forced upon people at these venues actually disappeared tomorrow, who would miss it? In fact, crowd numbers might well increase. I suspect there are many people like myself who value the natural interludes that occur in games, the ebb and flow of intensity, and hate being relentlessly assaulted by blaring advertising or music at every pause; and especially being shouted at about when to cheer and how excited I should feel.

He is spot-on with the observation that the promoters seem to have no understanding of the activity they're messing with, and have zero confidence in the sport's ability to entertain and hold a crowd's attention. And yet these sports have managed to do just that for many, many decades without treating everyone like a numbskull or a bored 8-year-old.

Terence Hogan, Heidelberg West

Quiet, please

Thanks, Greg Baum, for your spot-on article. We agree. Let the sport be the entertainment. Cut the booming noise/music between cricket overs, and at change of ends at the tennis. And could we also stop the booming 60 second countdown at the AFL grand final, and enjoy the roar and excitement of the crowd instead!

Michele Gierck, John McGuckin, Heidelberg

Showing the way

As Australia continues to rattle its sabres in alliance with the United States over the "rogue state" North Korea, South Korea demonstrates mature international behaviour which should be a lesson to us all.

With South Korea's capital, Seoul, less than 60 kilometres from its border with the north, of course it has most to lose from any outbreak of military hostilities on the Peninsula. With Seoul being absolutely aware of these strategic realities, we recently learnt that North and South Korea have agreed to compete for the first time under a Korean Unification Flag (effectively as one nation) in the February 2018 South Korean Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.

What an intelligent initiative from both North and South Korea and the Olympic Committee, shining a light where we and our allies seem to see only darkness.

David Jewell, Surrey Hills

Well done, Mr Kennett

Congratulations, Jeff Kennett, on calling out Peter Dutton's comments concerning youth gangs as unhelpful, cheap political shots. I haven't agreed with him on many occasions but this time he's spot on.

Dianne Powell, Fairfield

A wealth of talent

Irrespective of who becomes prime minister, our Parliament of lawyers, ex-staffers and unionists lacks the life experience and expertise to creatively lead a complex, increasingly unequal society. By contrast, Canada's energising model exudes human capital.

PM Justin Trudeau, a former teacher, is Minister for Youth and the Immigration Minister was a Somali refugee. The Employment Minister headed a homeless shelter and a drug awareness foundation.

The Health Minister was a physician with Medecins Sans Frontieres in Africa, and raised $4 million for healthcare there. The Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities is a Paralympian and the first legally blind MP. The Minister for Women is Iranian born, of Hazara refugee parents. The Science Minister is a scientist and the Transport Minister was an astronaut!

There are three Sikhs, two Muslims, two indigenous people and a gay man. The cabinet includes a former UN peacekeeper, a social worker, journalists, professors, lawyers, a musician, a museum director, accomplished business people, economists, three PhDs, a bus driver, a farmer and community workers. Half are women.

Changing the jockey cannot help when, in Australia, the horse itself is the problem.

Barbara Chapman, Hawthorn

AND FURTHERMORE

The Donald

If President Donald Trump told me my name is Kenneth Feldman I would check my birth certificate.

Kenneth Feldman, Sandringham

Noise at the tennis

If grunting is banned from women's tennis will some players become disgruntled?

Bryan Fraser, St Kilda

People, stop complaining about grunting, shrieking, fan groups and players' overt celebrations at the Australian Open. Really, folks? If that is all you have to complain about ...

Dell Wilson, Caulfield East

Are many tennis players and organisers slow learners? Will they never learn that we don't like and don't want howlers, yellers, grunters, growlers or screamers?

Roger Hehir, Albert Park

Better still ...

Well done to the Swiss for banning the boiling of live lobsters! Of course, the best outcome is that we all simply stop eating them.

Jennifer Horsburgh, Elanora, Qld

The bucket list

Proud to have a Tandberg in my CV, now for a Golding!

Moray Byrne, Edithvale

More praise for Baum

Having read Greg Baum's article ("World of sport is kidding itself", The Age, 20/1) and now having watched the one day game between Australia and England: Greg, out of a score of 1 to 10, deserves 11.

Geoffrey Lane, Mornington

Furthermore

Taxpayers are being asked to foot the bill for replacing dangerous building cladding ("Cladding blow to owners", 20/1). Put that to a plebiscite ...

Lawrie Bradly, Surrey Hills

Finally

Let's make the Aboriginal flag the national Australian flag. The day that happens will be worth celebrating as Australia day.

Ralph Boehmer, St Kilda West

Here's a thought. Why don't we have a postal survey to decide the Australia Day date? We could have it on April 1 – the survey I mean ... then again ...

Barry O'Neill, Menzies Creek

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