
Well, thank goodness for former Dow Chemical boss Andrew Liveris.
I mean, how else would Narelda Jacobs, a respected journalist with more than two decades' experience, know what fossil fuels can be used for? And how would Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, a parliamentarian who's spent the last 13 years debating policy in Canberra, know how to conduct herself when engaging in discourse?
Liveris gave both women (entirely uncalled for) lectures on Thursday night's episode of ABC program Q+A, in what Senator Hanson-Young and fellow panellist Minister Malcolm Turnbull described as a classic display of "mansplaining".
Watch: Andrew Liveris mansplains to Narelda Jacobs on fossil fuels.
The exchanges came amid a discussion on climate change, prompted by this week's Leaders Summit on Climate hosted by United States President Joe Biden. While the States announced an emissions reduction target of 50-52 per cent on 2005 levels by 2030 and the UK announced a 78 per cent cut by 2035, Australia continues to lag behind at 26–28 per cent by 2030.
Lamenting our slow progress, Jacobs accused Prime Minister Scott Morrison of alienating most Australians by saying it's an issue for the industry to deliver on rather than bringing the rest of the country along, too.
But gather 'round, children. Because Mr Liveris is ready to give his lesson.
The Australian-born American executive leant forward and said, "Let me teach you a new term: fossil feedstock."
Only, he didn't teach. If he had, he would have explained that the term refers to raw materials like crude oil, natural gas and brown coal that are used to produce another product. (In his view, we should still be digging up these materials but using them as manufacturing feedstocks rather than burning them as fuel.)
"If you want to live a modern life, you need a fossil feedstock," he said. "You can't get carbon any other way. If you want a chemistry lesson, I'll help you out the back."
Yep. He actually told a fellow panellist he'll take them outside and teach them a lesson.
Cue groan from the audience.
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