16 November

This is my argument against hazard reduction burning. Every year we willingly let ourselves cloak entire communities in toxic smoke, to protect a handful of badly located houses. What’s the greater hazard, losing those handful of houses, or hundreds of thousands or even millions of people breathing this stuff in? Air quality is a silent killer. Coal-fired power stations are also a leading cause of toxic air (if you look at the actual numbers, you might go pale), though it’s complex where a community derives significant money and jobs from that. No simple answers. But it’s your kids breathing it in, and so it needs to be talked about.