Writer
David Shearman
Dr <a href="https://www.davidshearman.org/">David Shearman</a> AM PhD FRACP FRCPE, Emeritus Professor of Medicine, University of Adelaide, Co-founder of Doctors for the Environment Australia. www.dea.org.au
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The Battle of Narrabri may well decide our climate future
Approval for the Narrabri gas project will say goodbye to any hope of an effective climate policy and usher in an expanding national gas industry with a rise in emissions and untold direct damage to the sustainability of this drying continent. Continue reading »
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Our political processes have failed us on climate change and the environment.
The Covid crisis will be controlled in a few years with new pharmaceuticals, vaccination or gradual human attenuation or immunity. Its lasting impact may well be from its distraction from addressing the crises eating away our life support systems. Continue reading »
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Coming Crises in Sustainability and Health will challenge the PM in his Leadership of the National Cabinet
Mr Morrison has created a National Cabinet to drive a “singular agenda” to create jobs. If it functions successfully as it has done over Covid, it will be a masterstroke of governance allowing state leaders from both major parties to interact for the common good without the damaging rancour shown in Parliament and the media. Continue reading »
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The Climate Tide roars in, yet leaders fail to understand and act
Climate change is a massively complex ‘wicked’ problem hence solutions require human capacities of logic and imagination guiding action. Our leaders appear bereft of science-based logic, acknowledging neither magnitude nor urgency of climate change. Continue reading »
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DAVID SHEARMAN. After Covid-19 the ‘New Normal’ must have ‘Real Universities’ acting on the Climate Crisis
The Market Forces UniSuper divest campaign details continuing UniSuper investments in fossil fuels despite many concerns expressed by academics and despite the progressive climate change crisis. Do the Universities have responsibilities? Continue reading »
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DAVID SHEARMAN and MELISSA HASWELL; The EPBC Act Review is a once in a decade chance to prioritise our Environment, our Health and our Future
After COVID 19, many of us have a flicker of hope that our government will apply some of its demonstrated sense of responsibility on medical advice to the larger health emergency on our doorstep. Continue reading »
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DAVID SHEARMAN and PHIL SHEARMAN; Anguished Scientists and the Collapse of Democracy
In the clouded eyes of government, scientific facts, which have guided our technologically advanced civilisation are now simply an opinion which can be discarded in favour of their own. Continue reading »
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DAVID SHEARMAN. The Unrelenting Desire to Export more Coal
Australia has become the climate change pariah of developed countries which are trying to deliver a fair share of emissions reduction. Continue reading »
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As the Liberals rest on their climate laurels, Labor must bite the coal bullet
As the smoke from our bushfires circles the Earth and other developed countries admonish our indolence on climate change, we are deluding ourselves if we hope for government action on emissions. Continue reading »
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DAVID SHEARMAN.-Doctors urged to engage with water policy concerns and a timely review
he climate and health emergency must remind doctors and the community that water is one of our life support systems and its scarcity in Australia will bring human misery, displacement of individuals and towns, and failures in food production. Continue reading »
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DAVID SHEARMAN. I have a Dream; Resurrection of Westpac as a Sustainability Bank
I have a dream that the outrageous performance of Westpac could lead to fundamental reform and the genetic engineering of one of the identical quads, the BIG4 banks which do not fulfil community needs or financial stability. Continue reading »
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Australia is defenceless against an advancing foe (Croakey, 05 November 2019)
Our Government maintains the primacy of the economy in all its deliberations. Even when mental health gets attention through the Productivity Commission it is with a view to “improving mental health to support economic participation and enhancing productivity and economic growth,” rather than with the primary purpose of alleviating suffering. Continue reading »
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DAVID SHEARMAN. Formulating a medical response to a deadly disease of disordered thinking (Croakey 16-10-19)
As much of the rest of the world wakes up to the climate crisis, Australia continues to be “a kingpin” of global fossil fuel promotion. Continue reading »
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DAVID SHEARMAN. Climate change diplomacy, one big step for humanity
As fire, flood and drought ravage swathes of the Earth, communities around the world are realising that climate change is accelerating and climate emergencies are declared. Many governments fail to act and quibble about fulfilling the meagre responsibilities of the Paris agreement. Some others seek to pressure the recalcitrants. This might be called climate “diplomacy” Continue reading »
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DAVID SHEARMAN. Obligations to the World’s children in the climate emergency.
This government is not fit to govern on the climate change emergency because of its incapacity to grasp the imminent danger to Australia, our neighbours and indeed the world. Today science strongly indicates we have only a few decades to act before the impact of a temperature rise of 3 or 4 degrees brings civilisation Continue reading »
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DAVID SHEARMAN. Parliamentary reform is vital to address the complex problems of environmental change.
The poor standing of politicians and the lack of expertise in their ranks and Ministries increasingly results in inadequate policy in complex problems such as climate change. It is essential that the next government commences reform of Parliamentary processes and harness necessary expertise. Continue reading »
