One has just watched passionate people expressing strong views on the cause of and the way to prevent another holocaust of Black Saturday proportions. It was the launch of the No Fuel, No Fires campaign.

No fuel, no fires is true, but not completely true. Equally no arsonists no fires - true but not completely true. Plenty of firebreaks, no fires - also true but not completely true.

The evacuate or stay and fight the fire would also seem to have lost relevance as the only option for surviving the Black Saturday firestorm, likened to a "nuclear" blast and to the Dreden firestorms, is to evacuate, if the never before experienced pace of the firefront allow escape.

The only completely true, common denominator to the Victorian Bushfires is the detailed climate science and predictions made by the CSIRO as many as 25 - 30 years ago ... way before the Royal Commission became necessary to "discovers and advises".

The CSIRO analysis and predictions about Climate Disruption and global warming spoke not only of calamitous unprecedented bush-fires but also of huge dumps of rain and floods never seen before. Both happened in the last two months.

The Ugly Face Of Climate Change by Dr Freya Mathews

Climate Change Not In Royal Commission Terms Of Reference

Each and every one of us is responsible. (refer Oother Hands" below)The Victorian carbon footprint, thanks to brown coal, is 2400% heaps much hugely bigger than the world average. To truly pay respect to those who died, lost all and all who were existentially traumatised, as I was, not to mention the countless animals and vegetation types - including the highly endangered Leadbeaters Possum, possibly irretrievably impacted on Black Sat.

Maximum commitment to carbon reduction lifestyle would be the most genuine and effective - CSIRO - honouring of the lives and tragedy of the hurt and injured, while also being the truest long term salve for the deep existential pain we all feel about the loss of life, security, faith, community, property and bio-diversity

Vox's View

… treat it like it doesn’t matter, and it turns out that it matters, then
it matters! However, if we treat it like it matters then it turns out it
doesn’t matter, well, it doesn’t matter!
So how has society gone?
South Eastern Australia is experiencing the longest dry on record, yet 20 years ago, the
CSIRO warned of extended drought, cyclones like Larry & Hamish and more frequent, more
intense bush fires. Nearly 10 years ago Governor A. Schwarzenegger committed California
to deep carbon cuts. Just last year Ross Garnaut said that Australia had more to lose than
any other nation from climate disruption and that unless we get it right, humanity will regret
it for the rest of time.
The last week of January 2009, saw four days reach toward the mid 40s in Victoria, while
northern Australia was flooded. On Saturday the 7th February, 48.6 degrees was recorded
in Hopetoun, Victoria & Melbourne experienced its hottest day on record.
In terms of our values, environmental education and the changes society must explore, Vox
Bandicoot has always said the little things add up, and they do ... but maybe, just maybe we
all need to seriously ponder whether they are adding up quickly enough?
Maybe also we need to explore new ways of pursuing environmental education and values
clarification. The Vox SOSee (Sustainable Options & Solutions; environmental and
economic) workplace training and development program is built on the Eight Pillars that
underpin a “supportive workplace culture”, a workplace which fosters sustainability
behaviour. One of the eight is the so-called “home to work link” and is particularly
powerful.

Postscript

For "no fuel-nor fires" to lambast "greenies" is unhelpful and disingenuous. As it happens, 2008-09 was the highest ever land area of "controlled burned" - 150,000 hectares. Agreed, local people have local knowledge and should have the power to also "control burn"

It will be unfortunate if the Royal Commission treats symptons but fails to address the deep and increasing cause of Black Saturday - human lifestyle, carbon addiction and values which are "fuelling" the climate change behemoth.

Other hands may fell the last stands of rainforest or clear-fell forest wilderness for woodchips to make wasteful packaging for goods we do not need.  Others may release the pollutants that degrade the oceans, rivers, the air that we breathe and the atmosphere which makes the Earth alone among the planets a haven for life.

Others are the agents, but we are the principals, or at least the aiders and abettors.  It is our values that are expressed in these actions. It is our lifestyle that makes such vandalism profitable.  It is the governments we elect that permit it.

Hall Wooten QC.
President
Australian Conservation Foundation: 1986.