SO Sussan Ley, an elected community representative, makes on-the-record, hard-hitting comments (The Border Mail, March 2) about a faulty rain gauge (easily fixed), and yet has nothing to say about significant, record climate events which are much more difficult to fix.
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Perhaps she found it best to not mention those, given her party leaders are in policy denial about climate change?
Perhaps there is dust in the gauge for a reason ... blown over time from dry, drought-affected areas?
What really horrifies me is how this article then keeps readers placid and ignorant by understating the significance of climate change.
“Records were broken for the average temperature and average daytime temperature ...” becomes “Australia recorded (...) only slightly above-average mean temperatures” in the closing sentence that will most likely be remembered by readers.
“Only slightly.” What do people expect?
How extreme do events need to get before people take any notice?
The climate is an enormous system, so something pretty big must be going on to even affect it “slightly”.
It is disappointing that The Border Mail yet again missed an opportunity to explain climate change issues to the public.
It is unclear if the author is deliberately hiding the facts about climate change, or is just incapable of interpreting data, or asking someone who can.
— DAVID MARGERISON,
Bonegilla
