Letter: January's temperature is evidence of climate change

According to the statistics that I have been able to research, January 2019’s mean maximum temperature (31.2) and mean minimum temperature (20.3) well and truly exceeded recent overall mean recordings (27.7 and 18.4 respectively). 

This is for records since 1995 at Port Macquarie Airport and mean temperatures for records dating back to 1907 (25.7 and 18.3).  It also exceeded January 2018 (28.4 and 18.4) in both categories.

Personally I do not believe I have ever felt the effects of heat as much as I have this January. As a teenager I would spend all day at the beach in school holidays and, in later days, enjoy a beach dip whenever possible. To me there is nothing more exhilarating than cracking a good body wave and riding it for 20 metres or so.

But not this year.  

So, as January finished, I decided to do a little research on our local (Port Macquarie) climate and was horrified by what the above figures showed.

If this is not indicative of climate change I am at a loss to know what is.

I can only suggest that those sceptics regarding climate change take a good look at these figures and perhaps be persuaded that climate change is a reality.

What is causing climate change? Whilst I do not claim to have the experience to say I am very inclined to believe the vast majority of learned researchers that blame it on human activity, especially the burning of coal.

This letter is therefore a plea from the heart to our politicians to open their eyes and minds to what is happening to our planet. They need to take whatever action that needs to be done is done to ensure that we leave a liveable planet for our children, grandchildren and beyond.

Rest assured that, in the coming elections, my vote will go to the candidate/s that are like minded and are prepared to stand up and be counted, irrespective of the neanderthal rubbish being propagated by major parties.

Bill O’Donnell

Laurieton