Quotes attributable to Climate Council CEO Amanda McKenzie:
“Today our Prime Minister stood in front of the people of Lismore, in front of the country’s media and spoke about ‘unprecedented natural disasters’ and a ‘national catastrophe’ but he completely failed to address the issue at the heart of this: climate change.
“Australia ranks dead last out of major developed nations when it comes to cutting emissions. No amount of spin can change that.
“The fact is, the Liberal-National Party has an abysmal track record on climate change, from drastically slashing funding for climate science and dismantling the Climate Commission, to fronting up to the world stage at COP26 with the worst emissions reduction target for 2030 of all major developed nations. Not to mention greenlighting coal and gas at an alarming rate.
“There’s been no meaningful climate action in eight years. This is a resounding failure. It’s not good enough, the next Parliament must work harder to see emissions plummet this decade.
“Incredibly, today of all days, Angus Taylor said he wants to accelerate oil and gas, two of the major drivers of climate change and escalating disasters. The Government needs to be honest with Australians. What we have is a ‘let it rip’ climate strategy and it’s taking a terrible toll on our communities.
“This is simply not good enough. Australians are paying a high price for the lack of meaningful national action to tackle climate change and our elected leaders must be held accountable. Australians want and deserve better than this.
”The Climate Council is calling on all federal political parties and candidates to:
- Tell Australians what concrete steps you will take to prepare and equip emergency services and communities for inevitable climate-fuelled disasters.
- Actively acknowledge the destructive role that climate change is playing in driving worsening disasters including these megafloods.
- Explain to the public how in the next term of Federal Parliament you plan to get national emissions plummeting by rapidly scaling up readily available renewable energy and building an economy that is free from fossil fuels.
- Ensure that towns, cities and communities are rebuilt in a way that takes into account the inevitable future changes in climate and makes them more resilient.
- It’s time to show leadership and step up to the most critical issue not just of our time, but all time. We have everything to lose, the time for action is now.