Guest essay by Eric Worrall

According to SMH reporter Harold Mitchell, the ignorant voting intentions of climate skeptics are frightening politicians, preventing them from acting on climate change.

The reality is we just don’t care enough about climate change

By Harold Mitchell

24 October 2018 — 11:19pm

My dear old dad used to say: “Son, always listen carefully to people who are smarter than you.”

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The key point is that we have little more than 12 years to stop increasing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. It’s now 26 years since the first Rio earth summit when the world agreed to avoid dangerous climate change. Sachs argues we are not doing enough.

But why aren’t we? Well, it’s all about our politicians being re-elected. Even though many of them believe that action is required, many feel they will not lose their seats if they support inaction. Louise grimaces, “A double negative,” but still correct. Power prices today are more important to them than a liveable world for the children of tomorrow.

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Plainly real leadership is required and Sach’s favourite president was JFK, because of his resistance to “dumbing down” important issues for a few votes. Sachs quotes the great president’s inauguration speech: “For man holds in his hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life”. He was speaking of nuclear war but could have added our ability to destroy millions of species including ourselves.

I’m also an admirer of JFK and I agree with him when he said: “The ignorance of one voter in democracy impairs the security of all.”

And I’d add climate change sceptics as well.