The outrage of Australia’s conservatives reminds me of the reaction I received when I testified before the US Congress in 2013 that we should “keep our coal in the ground where it belongs.” David McKinley, a Republican congressman from West Virginia, in the heart of America’s coal country, replied that my words “sent a shiver up [his] spine,” then changed the subject to the crime rate in Seattle, where I was Mayor.
随着远离化石燃料的呼声日涨，如此恐慌的反应也变得越来越平常。澳大利亚反对派之怒让我想起了2013年我在美国国会前参与听证、表示我们应该“让我们的煤炭留在地下原来的位置”时所收获的反应。来自美国煤炭业中心西弗吉尼亚州共和党议员大卫·麦金利（David McKinley）说我的证词“让他打了一个寒颤”，接着把话题引向了我担任市长的西雅图市的犯罪率。