Politicians are irresponsible, not dumb

March 2, 2026

No doubt Julian Cribb’s tongue was firmly planted in his cheek in arguing that algae are smarter than politicians, nevertheless, his thesis was flawed. Algae, unlike politicians, cannot control their environment. They survived the various mass extinction events, not because they were smart, but because of the concept of survival of the fittest, that is, there were some species that were better adapted to the changed conditions and could survive and reproduce.

Nevertheless, it is an amusing thought, or depressing, if you think too much about it. How on earth do Liberals, Nationals and One Nation reject the net zero emissions by 2050 policy? Do they not read, nor have staffers that do and can advise them? Are they unaware of the James Hansen et al paper that Cribb cited, for instance, that says: “We project a global temperature record of +1.7°C in 2027, which will provide further confirmation of the recent global warming acceleration.” Global warming acceleration. If climate change is not mitigated sufficiently, we are heading to 3 or 4C warming which essentially means the end of civilisation.

My view is that politicians DO know but choose to do little because they are profoundly irresponsible; not dumb.