Sophie Henke, Mount Gambier
DESPITE unpreparedness for COVID 19, Australia has done well in flattening the curve.
If only the same resolve was applied to flattening the curves of escalating CO2, methane and nitrous oxide emissions.
According to a recent report from the Commission for the Human Future, chaired by John Hewson, climate change is happening faster than previously anticipated.
Unfortunately we cannot avoid the increasingly severe climate impacts from past emissions.
The immediate challenge is to prevent matters becoming far worse and to adapt to impacts that cannot be avoided.
Gas is not the answer to economic recovery.
Methane-tracking satellite data has revealed fugitive emissions are far too high, making it just as dirty as coal.
The world’s top economists have said that green investments would be the best approach to spur global economic revival.
“The COVID-19 crisis could mark a turning point in progress on climate change,” one said, adding that much would depend on policy choices made in the next six months.
The Australian grid regulator (AEMO) has released its blueprint, which has laid out an action plan to accommodate up to 75pc “instant” penetration of wind and solar in Australia’s main grid by 2025, saying Australia has the technical know-how to cope with such a high penetration of wind and solar, but this cannot happen unless the market and regulatory settings are urgently updated.
I would like to see the Federal Government, at the very least, act on AEMO’s request without delay.
Sophie Henke,
Mount Gambier
