Greens Urge Serious Response to Climate Change Warnings
7 August 2013
Greens WA spokesperson on Climate Change, Robin Chapple MLC, today joined with Greens Senator for WA Scott Ludlam and Member for South Metropolitan, Lynn MacLaren MLC, in calling for a serious response to the overwhelming evidence that links greenhouse gas emissions to extreme weather events.
“The American Meteorological Society’s annual snapshot of the world’s climate, which has just been released, concludes that extreme weather events will become more frequent.
“The Barnett/Grylls government has ignored the issue of climate change for five long years, sitting on their hands while this state’s emissions have continued their inexorable upward trend.
“With the likely trebling of our emissions as more carbon-intensive developments come onstream, WA under its current leadership regime will only be adding to what this latest report shows is a problem requiring urgent attention”, continued Mr Chapple.
Greens MLC Lynn MacLaren highlighted the serious response of the Greens – draft laws on adapting to the effects of climate change on our lifestyle and planning processes.
“This latest report on world climate makes it clear that extreme weather is to become the norm. That is why my Climate Change Readiness (Coastal Planning and Protection) Bill 2013 is ready for parliamentary debate. We saw the need to put planning processes in place now, to adapt to the consequences of climate change and to manage the severe disruption our coastal lifestyle is heading for,” Ms MacLaren said.
“As the report states, sea and land temperatures are going to keep rising to record levels. My Climate Change Bill brings the best science on coastal processes to our planning regime in WA. If we fail to do this, local governments will be in for hefty infrastructure costs repairing storm damage and our communities will lose much of the amenity that defines our coastal lifestyle.”
Senator Ludlam said “The Greens have released a costed, technical plan to meet Western Australia’s south-west grid electricity demand entirely through energy efficiency, fuel-switching, and a range of renewable energy by 2029. The past fifteen years have seen a massive increase in renewable energy
deployment around the world, driven by rising fossil fuel costs and the now unmistakable impacts of the changing climate.
“Runaway advances in solar, wind and other clean energy technologies have caused costs to fall rapidly.
The Greens believe Australia should invest in the next generation of clean, affordable energy infrastructure. Energy 2029shows that path forward for WA.”
Mr Chapple continued, “Unfortunately, these kinds of weather events can have dramatic consequences for people and the environment, and we don’t always have to look too far afield to see what can happen.
“The south-west of WA is in the grip of a severe drying trend which has made large areas of our wheatbelt unviable, and has put such pressure on Perth’s water supply that the government has had to turn to desalination plants to keep our drinking water flowing.
“Suburban fences and cars still give witness to the tornados and hailstorms which in recent years have highlighted the increasing frequency of extreme weather events in Perth.
“After a brief post-GFC respite from greenhouse gas emissions, global CO2 levels have now come very close to the 400ppm level, which brings us to the brink of the 2 degree global temperature rise which the science tells us will result in more climate upheaval.
“It’s time for the Premier to act in his capacity as Minister for Science by restoring funding to his government’s beleaguered Climate Change Unit and letting it get on with its job of putting this state back in its leadership role in solar energy and other renewable energy technologies, with the Greens Energy 2029 plan providing an excellent blueprint for action.
“The Premier has told Parliament that his government is committed to meeting the challenge of climate change – he must now stop shirking his responsibility by putting the entire onus on the federal government, and put some budget resources into addressing the unique difficulties which climate change will present our state”, Mr Chapple concluded.
Energy 2029 plan: http://www.greenswa.net.au/energy2029
