Activism
Daniel Peckham suggests that climate activists like Ray Peck are the real do-nothings because they won't do anything like supporting nuclear power or challenge China's emissions. Daniel misunderstands activism. An activist on their own can change little. Activists have stopped the use of lead in petrol, the use of DDT, the damming of the Franklin river for example, collectively they can effect change. Addressing some of Daniel's specific complaints though, nuclear power is not part of the solution, it's time has past, it will take too long and cost too much to build a usable reactor. Activists would drive clean cars if they were economically available, however government interference is preventing this. Activism can achieve great things collectively, it is not a one person show.
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Ross Hudson, Mount Martha Vic
G7 Summit
With the G7 summit around the corner, this is Australia's reminder to strengthen our climate commitments and transition away from our dirty fossil fuel driven economy. Now that the world's seven largest advanced economies have agreed to stop international financing of carbon-emitting coal projects by the end of 2021 and to phase out such support for all fossil fuels, it is in Australia's best interests to move away from coal and gas. Bucking against international trends is going to leave Australia's economy vulnerable, with billions of taxpayers' dollars stuck in stranded assets. Transitioning our nation towards cleaner low carbon-intensive industries makes sense to rebuild a strong and resilient post-COVID economy.
Ching Ang, Kensington Gardens
A better education
There are numerous articles examining the decline in educational results around the world and the most common suggestion seems to be to improve the quality of the teachers, but should that be the quality of the students.
The long rows of compliant students sitting in silence, often enforced by a strap, as the teacher spoke disappeared last century, probably from the 1960s as did the teacher at the front desk approach. Student and their attitudes have been a concern seemingly forever as Socrates commented almost 2500 years ago "The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders ...".
The current problems include the preoccupation with social media and YouTube which subjectively seems to waste a lot of their time and decrease their attention span which can affect their learning.
There are also changes in the length of time students stay at school with fewer entry level jobs or apprenticeships that do not require a higher level of education that in past decades although not all students are successful at the higher levels.
Obviously, teachers should be of as high a standard as possible but low wages makes this difficult to achieve. The biggest changes may occur when students are able to concentrate in class without distractions from unmotivated and unsuccessful classmates and they have the time at home to review work and complete their homework without the distractions that their social media feeds provides.
It's time for a return to a learning environment where teachers are excellent, students are motivated and concentrate and then educational standards will rise.
Dennis Fitzgerald, Melbourne
Smoke and mirrors
Teachers withdraw their labour because NSW governments fail to manage recruitment and retention in public education. This is decades long frustration. The dismissive responses of the education department and its Minister display the usual political smoke and mirrors approach to avoid accountability. Unfilled permanent classroom teaching positions is the issue not the overall workforce vacancy rate. Limited or no access to casual teachers is the issue. Solution? Address workload and wages. Attracting and retaining qualified staff depends on the government offering attractive working conditions and a professional salary commensurate with qualifications and experience.
Susan Armstead, Kentucky NSW
Outrage over planned anti-meat lecture invite
Humans have seen the loss of 83 percent of all wild mammals and half of all plants. 60 percent of mammals living are livestock (mostly cattle and pigs), 36 percent are us and only four percent are the "wild" animals we learn about as children.
Professor Ron Milo of Israel's Weizmann Institute of Science puts it like this, "When I do a puzzle with my daughters, there is usually an elephant next to a giraffe next to a rhino. But if I was trying to give them a more realistic sense of the world it would be a cow next to a cow next to a cow and then a chicken."
So when Food Frontier works out a way to provide us with some of the protein we need in a form that appeals to consumers, without needing to clear more land, I am pleased.
Lesley Walker, Northcote
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Emissions reduction
Australia's greenhouse gas emissions may have dropped, but it is mostly due to the impacts of the covid 19 pandemic and the growth of renewable energy. The federal government unfortunately has played a minimal role in this outcome. After all, instead of investing in more renewables, our government has continued to invest in new fossil fuel projects (gas and coal) and tries to redirect renewables funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) to extend the life of fossil fuels. If the Australian government should like to take credit for the nation's decline in emissions, then genuine climate policies are required.
Ching Ang, Kensington Gardens
