Push for government to deliver better climate future ramps up
18 August 2021 at 6:06 pm
“It is timely to explore the opportunities that the inevitable transition to a zero-emissions world presents for Australia”
Over 70 community, First Nations, government, and union organisations have come together to call on the Morrison government to commit to credible climate targets, ahead of the upcoming COP26 global climate conference.
The organisations, which include the City of Adelaide, 1 Million Women, Moreland City Council, Indigenous Peoples’ Organisation and the United Workers Union, have signed onto the Better Futures Declaration, as a demonstration of their work and commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and creating a net-zero future.
The group is part of the broader Better Futures Australia (BFA) network, which has brought hundreds of public and private sector leaders to share climate and environment success stories, as well as demonstrate Australia’s readiness to respond to climate change.
Despite countries such as America pledging to slash carbon emissions by 50 per cent below 2005 levels by the year 2030, the Morrison government is staying firm on its pledge of cutting carbon emissions by 26-28 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030.
In this year’s budget, the Morrison government committed around $1 billion into research and development of new technologies such as carbon capture and storage, green hydrogen and clean steel as a way of cutting carbon emissions, a move that was widely criticised by environment groups.
Virtual summit kickstarts action
On Tuesday, the BFA network’s flagship virtual climate summit kicked off, with attendees hearing from over 200 leaders, including the former secretary general of the United Nations, Ban Ki-Moon, and the US deputy special presidential envoy on climate, Jonathan Pershing.
Ki-Moon said that the forum was a great opportunity for a diverse range of Australians to showcase climate solutions that were already underway ahead of the COP26 Summit, which is just a few months away.
“It is timely to explore the opportunities that the inevitable transition to a zero-emissions world presents for Australia, as global leaders prepare to meet at November’s critical UN Climate Summit where emissions reduction targets will be set,” he said.
Forum speaker Cathryn Eatock, co-chair of the Indigenous People’s Organisation, said that as the world reached a tipping point in the climate crisis, it was critical that governments listened and learned from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
“Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have lived sustainably and recognise that we are all interconnected with and dependent on our environment,” Eatock said.
“The Australian government needs to work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and step up to its global obligations to provide real leadership before it’s too late.”
