Kimberley climate change

Kimberley Climate Change Report is Another Wake-up Call

18 June 2013

Greens WA spokesperson on Climate Change and member for the Mining and Pastoral Region, Robin Chapple MLC, today urged all parties to seriously reflect on the latest reports into climate change and its projected effects on WA.

“There is an ever-increasing flow of credible research into the harmful effects of climate change, and it is time to take stock and look at what it all means for WA.

“We can no longer afford the luxury of the usual who’s right/who’s wrong to-and-fro that has characterized this debate for the past decade. What is needed now is cool heads and, above all, leadership to steer the course of policy in response to this fundamental challenge to society.

“The Cooperative Research Centre for Remote Economic Participationreport, “Impact of climate change on health and wellbeing in remote Australian communities”, lays out in stark relief what climate change will mean in the Kimberley, as the lack of economic resources in many local communities will leave them unable to adapt to the changes in health, water supply, agriculture, social cohesion and other factors, which will occur as temperatures rise and rainfall patterns change.

“Then we have the Climate Commission’s “Critical Decade” report update clearly showing the effect of rising global temperatures, in increasing the frequency and nature of extreme weather events in Australia.

“Our farming groups have acknowledged that the wheatbelt is not experiencing drought – it is suffering the effects of the drying trend in our South-West’s winter rainfall.

“Our political leaders can no longer stand on the sidelines and say it’s someone else’s problem – we deserve better than this – we can be part of the solution, with a switch to renewable energy.

“The Greens have the Energy 2029 plan which shows how WA can make the change.

Energy 2029 plan: http://www.greenswa.net.au/energy2029

CRC-REP Report: http://crc-rep.com/publication/crc-rep-0090

Climate Commission Report: http://climatecommission.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/The-Critical-Decade-2013_medres_web.pdf

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