@CilantroChili agree 100%.
Australians voted in a government with NO climate management plan, no energy plan, nothing. Despite the fact that fire chiefs, our federal bureau of meteorology, NASA, climate scientists all over the world, David Attenborough, etc have been telling us for YEARS that this would happen. We still voted them in a government who refused to even utter the words 'climate' and 'change' in the same sentence.
Why did Australians reject action on climate change? Greed; obsession with property investment; retirees who grew up in the post-war boom wanting to keep their hands on their enormous nest-eggs at the expense of national economic planning and public investment for future generations; all fuelled by the dominance of a media landscape run by the Rupert Murdoch, who, gee! Has a ton of investments in fossil fuels.
59% of us voted against this government back in August because we predicted this shit would start happening.
We 59% - who've been labelled the lunatic left, inner-city latte sipping socialists, mad greenies etc, because we have the temerity to insist on science rather than ideology - now also have to suffer the consequences of the conservative 'do nothing' approach advocated by this pathetic government and its supporters. Not to mention our poorest communities, including our First Nations people, who have contributed nothing to this problem, yet are already being affected.
Interesting that the most scathing criticism of climate change activists during election time came from farmers in regional communities who are now crying out for handouts and assistance with fires because, lo and behold, it's still not raining and shit's getting hotter. The irony.
For anyone out there who questions the climate change stuff, let me lay it out.
These fires are caused by climate change. It's a fact. Human activity is causing climate change. It's a fact.
Any information you're getting otherwise is courtesy of a vast, extremely well-funded propaganda machine courtesy of super-rich fossil fuel investors. You know, the same guys that got that 'grassroots' Tea Party stuff happening in the states.
Mumsnet, the best thing you can do to support us over here in Australia is get on board with your local climate action groups. Write letters to your MPs, write letters to the paper, and join in direct action on the streets. We don't need prayers. We are on fire. We need international cooperation on the management of our climate and natural resources WHICH WE HAVE THE SKILLS AND KNOW-HOW TO DO.
Excuse the caps, I am just so exhausted by all this.