A Maths Lesson (And The Human Cost)

Hello Ramblers,

Long time no post. This is my first rant for the year, and a rather topical one. Australia is currently reeling at the terrible tragedy in Victoria, with bushfires killing hundreds and turning townships to ash. While I do not wish to trespass on the misery of the people affected, I would like to make a crucial point. Bear with me as I set the scene for this one...

Having recently changed political direction with a new government in power, our esteemed political leaders have once again proved the old adage "same shit different shovel" very much true. We continue to drag our feet in our attempts to recreate our society into an environmentally sustainable entity.

Maths seems to be the constant defence for our unwillingness to make some hard decisions and usher in a new era wherein we can pass the future to our children with pride. It would be too expensive to invest in alternative energy. Too many jobs will be lost if we scale down the coal and timber logging industries. After 11 years of sunshine in which the previous government did nothing but waste opportunities and piss on the hay, the world has tumbled into an inevitable financial meltdown. Now the purse strings have been tightened (except for the occasional misguided attempt to pump prime our wasteful comsumption, as if that is going to save us). The chances of some genuine investment in the future are looking pretty low.

Climate change, a much discussed issue that has been greatly misrepresented over the years by the fluffy irrelevant mass media that purports to disseminate knowledge and information to the masses, is finally starting to flex its muscle in ways that can neither be denied nor ignored.

So, if simple mathematics of financial cost are applied by our leaders to deny the change to sustainable practices in our continued rape and pillage of the world, why doesn't the cost of disasters like the bushfires in Victoria and the floods in Queensland get factored in? This would more than even the equation, tipping the need for sustainable practices and fundamental change in the way that we live on this planet well into the lead. The cost in human suffering puts the issue well beyond doubt.

But no, there's a simpler answer. Just go out and spend your $950 on Chinese consumer products that you don't need. Go about your lives. Move along. Nothing to see. Everything is fine. Ruddy marvelous!