Bermuda Triangle in Heffron?

By looking at a map of my neighbourhood, I found out that just near me lives someone called “Ben”, whose environmentally aware behaviour is calculated (by the website) to save the carbon emissions of over two small cars. “Sarah” from up the road, and an identity called “Nickypunts”, are also there.

Nevertheless, despite unprecendented catastrophic weather events around the world, ice caps melting and other glaringly obvious meteorological phenomena, some people still refuse to believe there might be an irreversible disaster facing us if we don’t stop clearing vegetation and running our economies on fossil fuels.

Unfortunately for the people of NSW, one of them is Michael Costa, the State’s Treasurer. Costa is an avowed and proud climate change skeptic, along with a few high-profile climate change deniers on the fringes of rational climate change theory. He is the one who orchestrates the provision of energy infrastructure for NSW, although you could hardly say he is leading us anywhere. He would prefer business-as-usual than to strive for energy security for this State.

It seems that since Bob Carr abandoned us to the present Labor Government, all leadership in respect of energy policy has evaporated into thin air. The NSW Government is resting on the laurels of its advances made during the Carr years, but has done nothing since then to promote energy security. In contrast, the City of Sydney has one of its 2030 goals to “Implement the fastest and most cost-effective transition to a low-carbon economy”.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore, in her dual role as Independent Member for Bligh, says that many of her constituents express concern about greenhouse gas emissions, and she is on the record pressing for 30 per cent greenhouse gas reduction by 2020.

Strangely, south of the border in Heffron, Labor’s Kristina Keneally, a Minister in the present State Government, says: “I have received less than a dozen letters concerning greenhouse gas reduction in my Electorate Office.”

You have to ask, why do the people of South Sydney express their views on climate change everywhere but Ms Keneally’s office? Is there a Bermuda Triangle of opinion in Heffron?

I asked her whether she thought it helpful to have an avowed and passionate climate change skeptic, Mr Costa, making decisions about future energy technologies?  She replied: “Professor Owen’s report confirms that exciting solutions will emerge from developments in sustainable energy technology. The NSW Government understands the importance of clean coal technology (regardless of which fuel source is used in any new station) and accordingly, the Government is building on our commitment to clean energy by investing in a $100 million Renewable Energy Fund and a $100 million Clean Coal fund.”

Small wonder no one bothers to express views to Ms Keneally on the critical subject of climate change and energy security.