2017-06-14
This afternoon the senate supported the Australian Greens' proposal for inquiry into the implications of climate change for Australia’s national security.
"One of the most significant risks facing the global community are the security implications of climate change. It has been more than four years since the Chief of US Pacific forces called climate change the biggest long-term security threat in the Pacific region. As this week’s humiliating debacle inside the Liberal National partyroom has shown, the Government still can't even agree that climate change is real,” Australian Greens Co-Deputy Leader and Defence spokesperson Senator Scott Ludlam said today.
"We have to move the conversation forward, and the best people to do that are those engaged in planning for the damaging climate impacts already set in train."
"The United States Department of Defense thoroughly canvassed the long-term risks and threats posed by climate change to national and international security, and similar work is long past due here in Australia. Grudging throwaway lines in the Defence White Paper won’t cut it,".
“Climate change is a threat multiplier and Australia has a responsibility to prepare for massive looming national security risks,” said Australian Greens Climate and energy spokesperson Adam Bandt MP.
"The willingness of governments around the world to keep subsidising coal and gas has forced national security agencies to prepare for an escalating climate emergency. At the same time the Australian Government is pursuing a hugely expensive military spending programme to fight last century’s wars, our overseas development aid budget has been hammered to the lowest proportion of Gross National Income in history," Senator Ludlam said.
"As one of the highest per-capita emitters on the planet, Australia must play a constructive role as our region responds to climate change. The Government won’t listen to the scientists, and it won’t listen to the renewable energy sector. Maybe it will listen to defence and security experts and the personnel on the front line.”
Media Release International Aid and Development Defence and Veterans Affairs Climate Change