You Are Here:
Send URL
Fill in the form below and click on the "send" button. Our server will send an e-mail message to the recipient that includes the URL of the story you want to share.
You can send to multiple e-mail addresses by separating them with COMMAs: a.name@aserver.com, another.name@anotherserver.com
Only a few weeks in office and new PM Kevin Rudd has been on a climate rollercoaster. He made ratifying Kyoto his first act but has yet to support the 25-40% emissions cuts for developed countries that need to form the basis of negotiations for the next Kyoto commitment period, despite near consensus among parties in Bali that this must happen.
Ratifying Kyoto has rightly been applauded on the global stage, but it is only a first step. Under the ‘sweetheart’ deal brokered by the Howard government, Australia’s Kyoto commitment will actually allow emissions to increase. The true test of climate action is whether emissions go down, not up.
Australians voted Mr Rudd in on a historic climate mandate. That is why it is unsurprisingly that a recent Newspoll, commissioned by Greenpeace, found overwhelming public support for Mr Rudd to show leadership and take the next steps needed to build on our ratification of Kyoto and avoid dangerous climate change.
The poll reveals that 86% of Australians support Mr Rudd introducing new policies that will ensure Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions begin to decrease within the next three years. Also, 77% said the government should begin phasing out existing coal-fired power stations and replace them with renewable energy generation by 2010. When asked about Australia’s export coal industry, 73% of Australians said coal exports should be capped or reduced.
Greenpeace head of campaigns Steve Campbell said that Australians clearly understand the link between burning coal and climate change. "They want to see the nation end its reliance on coal by beginning to phase out coal-fired power and move to renewable energy technologies,” Campbell said from the international climate change conference in Bali.
“Clearly reducing our emissions matters to the Australian public but they also want to see Mr Rudd take global responsibility by adopting policies that will see coal exports stay at current levels or decrease.”
Existing ALP climate policies will see Australia’s total emissions increase to 15% over 1990 levels by 2020. Yet the UNFCCC has stated that to keep global warming from topping the danger threshold of a 2 degrees C increase, it is necessary for developed countries as a group to achieve emissions reductions of 25-40% below 1990 levels by 2020.
Campbell said that this week Mr Rudd had the opportunity to show leadership at the Bali climate talks and help gain consensus on the 25-40% range of reductions.
"This poll shows that such a move would be extremely popular with the people of Australia, who delivered Mr Rudd a firm mandate at the last election, and want him to take even stronger action by reducing Australia’s emissions within his first term,” he said.
“Mr Rudd must position Australia as a leader on climate change and start playing a proactive role in shaping a global response to the greatest challenge of our time. This means calling a halt to all proposed expansions and developments of Australia’s coal exports and coal-fired power generation.”
Ratifying Kyoto has rightly been applauded on the global stage, but it is only a first step. Under the ‘sweetheart’ deal brokered by the Howard government, Australia’s Kyoto commitment will actually allow emissions to increase. The true test of climate action is whether emissions go down, not up.
Australians voted Mr Rudd in on a historic climate mandate. That is why it is unsurprisingly that a recent Newspoll, commissioned by Greenpeace, found overwhelming public support for Mr Rudd to show leadership and take the next steps needed to build on our ratification of Kyoto and avoid dangerous climate change.
The poll reveals that 86% of Australians support Mr Rudd introducing new policies that will ensure Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions begin to decrease within the next three years. Also, 77% said the government should begin phasing out existing coal-fired power stations and replace them with renewable energy generation by 2010. When asked about Australia’s export coal industry, 73% of Australians said coal exports should be capped or reduced.
Greenpeace head of campaigns Steve Campbell said that Australians clearly understand the link between burning coal and climate change. "They want to see the nation end its reliance on coal by beginning to phase out coal-fired power and move to renewable energy technologies,” Campbell said from the international climate change conference in Bali.
“Clearly reducing our emissions matters to the Australian public but they also want to see Mr Rudd take global responsibility by adopting policies that will see coal exports stay at current levels or decrease.”
Existing ALP climate policies will see Australia’s total emissions increase to 15% over 1990 levels by 2020. Yet the UNFCCC has stated that to keep global warming from topping the danger threshold of a 2 degrees C increase, it is necessary for developed countries as a group to achieve emissions reductions of 25-40% below 1990 levels by 2020.
Campbell said that this week Mr Rudd had the opportunity to show leadership at the Bali climate talks and help gain consensus on the 25-40% range of reductions.
"This poll shows that such a move would be extremely popular with the people of Australia, who delivered Mr Rudd a firm mandate at the last election, and want him to take even stronger action by reducing Australia’s emissions within his first term,” he said.
“Mr Rudd must position Australia as a leader on climate change and start playing a proactive role in shaping a global response to the greatest challenge of our time. This means calling a halt to all proposed expansions and developments of Australia’s coal exports and coal-fired power generation.”
More about the climate conference in Bali
Read the blog from our campaigners in Bali
