2018-08-13
A senate inquiry chaired by Greens Senator Janet Rice has found that infrastructure such as transport, housing, electricity and water at major risk from sea level rise and extreme temperatures.
“Most Australians live along the coast, and we’re staring down the barrel of sea level rise of 1.1 metres by 2100 and some 250,000 existing homes at risk of inundation,” said Senator Rice, Chair of the Environment and Communications References Committee.
“We’ll see the average number of over 35 C days more than double from the current 11 to 24 per year in Melbourne, from 28 a year to 63 in Perth, Brisbane more than quadruples from 12 to 55 but worst of all is Darwin, which will have 265 days per year where the maximum temperature is over 35 degrees centigrade.”
“The evidence made clear that the cost of climate adaptation in a 4 degree world is simply too high to bear. Rapid reduction of our carbon pollution is the only way we will be able to adapt to climate change. The Greens commit to do this by 2040.”
“It’s disappointing that we were unable to arrive at consensus conclusions on issues of such importance.”
“Labor made a recommendation of net zero pollution by 2050, but have not committed to policies that would actually enable this to be achieved.”
“The Greens are calling on Labor to show their pathway to zero emissions, in particular by making a commitment to phasing out the use and export of fossil fuels.”
“The Turnbull government’s only response to these dangers is to come up with the totally inadequate National Energy Guarantee (NEG) that is worse than doing nothing. And today we learn that they plan to underwrite a new coal-fired power station.”
“The Greens will keep working for the transformation of the Australian economy to be 100% zero pollution by 2040.”