MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire has challenged controversial newspaper columnist Andrew Bolt's claims that the shire is irresponsibly scaring residents about the threat of rising temperatures due to global warming.
Mr Bolt, a self-confessed climate-change sceptic, wrote in the Herald Sun last Friday that the shire had pulled a "sick stunt" and terrified its residents.
"Mornington Peninsula Shire has [sent] each ratepayer a glossy magazine warning that warming may well kill them," he wrote. "I was so cross I wasn't sure if I was still trembling from fever or fury."
Mr Bolt was referring to the shire's colour booklet Climate change: What we are doing about it, which was sent to all residents prior to the shire's 12 climate change meetings.
Ten meetings have been held so far, attracting a combined audience of more than 2000 residents.
The last two meetings are at the New Peninsula Baptist Church, Craigie Road, Mt Martha, at 6pm on Wednesday, and at Hastings Hall in High Street at 6pm on Thursday.
Mr Bolt wrote on his opinion page that "global warming prophets have had great success in screaming at us to repent or die".
"No scare is now deemed too extreme to make us cut our satanic gases.
"This love of the Big Scare has worked its way down the global-warming food chain. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd even warned Parliament that warming could unleash malaria and dengue fever on us and cause another 1400 Australians a year to die from heatstroke.
"You don't often come across scaremongering so brazen - or so irresponsibly exaggerated."
On Monday, mayor Bev Colomb challenged Mr Bolt's account:
"The council's climate-change booklet provides the local community with the results of research by the CSIRO into the potential impacts of climate change on the Mornington Peninsula.
"Its findings are consistent with the overwhelming weight of scientific opinion, nationally and internationally.
"The information we have provided to our community is, unquestionably, cause for concern but not alarm, and that is the response that we are getting from our residents."
Cr Colomb said the booklet and climate change meetings did more than provide information:
"They provide advice on what the community can do to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, to reduce energy and ... water use, and to improve our recycling performance.
"The overwhelming response of the community has been positive.
"People want to be informed, and they want the opportunity to engage with the council over climate change, and we are providing that opportunity."
Greg Hunt of the Western Port Greenhouse Alliance, of which the shire is a member, said the climate-change meetings were inspired by a CSIRO report prepared for the alliance and released in June.
It warned of rising sea levels in Western Port that would affect low-lying parts of Hastings, Tyabb, Somerville, Crib Point, Stony Point, Somers and Shoreham.
The report also warned of increased storm surges, bushfires and high temperatures unless measures were taken to combat climate change. Mr Hunt said it was commonsense not to waste energy.
"Why not cut our unnecessary use and save ourselves money along the way?"
He said the dangers of hotter weather were real.
"Perhaps the blinkered Mr Bolt can tell us about the 37,000 heat-related deaths in Europe in 2003 and why we shouldn't prepare for this possibility."
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