Australian science has gone overboard for ‘climate action’

A potted Australian net-zero history begins the imperial policy-heyday of "Liberal" Party grandees Malcolm and Lucy Turnbull.

Lucy refashions Sydney, for endless growth

Kitted in hard-hat, high-vis, and safety-specs, central-planner Lucy descended 2017 from her nine-figure Point Piper eyrie. Giving the hoi polloi glad tidings foreshadowed the previous year.

Via her Greater Sydney Commission plaything, the overstretched metropolis of five million could "grow properly" to "three Sydneys" by 2056. At least eight million contented burghers would enjoy seamless thirty-minute commutes.

"Three cities" morphed to six , only this year they vanished entirely, from NSW planning portfolio. The Committee for Sydney growth-lobby wept for Lucy's "bold long-term vision".

Committee needn't cry. NSW retains its "vision" for 2050 net-zero. "Boldly" cramping three million more (largely imported) aspirants into Sydney's high-rises and far-flung fields.

Malcolm redraws Australia, for "climate action"

When not sinking National Broadcast Network or rebirthing Snowy Mountains Scheme, Point Piper's other half had global fish to fry.

Early 2016, as prime minister, he had his environment minister sign Paris Agreement, coming into force late 2016. Pre-committing us to UN "climate action for net zero".

This was "contested" at our 2016 election, right? Not quite.

Sure, "climate action" was an issue. For 2030, you could have the 26-28% "cut" in emissions from Coalition, Labor's 45%, or an enthralling 63-82% from Greens. The underlying "net zero" folly was never put to voters.

It still isn't. Today's PM adlibs "netting" emissions from the 40-year Woodside-gas extension to "zero" as if for real. Rather than ruing this $200 billion resource-giveaway, social-justice warriors wail about a Pacific "carbon bomb". Comforted however, by Albanese's symbolic "climate visa" for Tuvaluans.

The climate-cowed Ley opposition has a special working-group re-examining net-zero. The PM's top climate-change (CCA) "adviser" lectures them, don't play "politics" or deny the "science". It's not net-zero that's science - it's rising CO2 levels.

To give Malcolm his due, he really did ask voters about same-sex marriage. Which they embraced, with the same vigour that would later reject Albanese's Voice.