2021-06-09
Greens Leader, Adam Bandt has described Morrison’s calls for a new cold war as a craven attempt to distract from Australia’s rogue climate stance ahead of the G7 meeting.
“This year’s G7 is about one thing - climate action. The world’s leaders are setting more ambitious targets for decarbonisation, making it clear that if you don’t have a plan to phase out coal and gas, you don’t have a plan to limit global heating to 1.5 degrees," Bandt said.
“While China will certainly be part of the discussions, there will be nowhere for Scott Morrison to hide from his government’s dismal performance on emissions.
“The conservative UK government and Biden administration, not to mention France and Germany, are leading a major global effort to limit global warming. In Australia, only the Greens have climate policy in line with the science and the Paris goals.
“The longer Scott Morrison pretends that the world is not going to act on climate, the more damage he’ll do to Australia’s reputation and economy.
“When carbon tariffs hit, Australia needs to be ready. We could be a renewable energy and green products superpower, but instead this government is setting Australia up to sell fossil fuels and products the world doesn’t want or need.
“The Greens have been consistent for decades on China and human rights abuses where and whenever they occur. China policy is far too important for fear campaigns to distract from politicians' domestic or international problems.
“I’m not sure if Scott Morrison’s knowledge of Cold War history is as bad as his Australian history, but no one should romanticize a period when aggressive polarisation held the world on the brink of nuclear annihilation.”