As Ministers from around the world converge on Melbourne to discuss “geosequestration” – the controversial plan to capture and dispose of greenhouse pollution underground – Australia’s environment groups said it was time for Governments got real on climate change.
Addressing delegates at the Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum today, Julie Anne Richards, head of Climate Action Network Australia said, “Governments recognise that climate change is one of the greatest threats to our society and environment. If governments are serious about the problem, they should get serious about the solution.”
“To avoid the worst impacts of climate change, industrialised countries must set national targets and roadmaps to reduce greenhouse emissions by at least 60% by 2050.”
“The large-scale application of geosequestration is unproven and it remains to be seen whether geosequestration can permanently reduce greenhouse pollution,” she said. “It is far better to respond to climate change by not creating greenhouse pollution in the first place. Renewable energy such as solar and wind and energy efficiency allows us to do this and allows us to do it now.”
“Revelations that the Federal Government held secret meetings with the big polluters in developing its recent Energy White paper that strongly favoured geosequestration raises questions about who is really driving the current Government’s agenda,” Ms Richards said. “It is time the Government to get real and prioritise greenhouse solutions that can deliver major reductions in greenhouse pollution today.”
Australian environment groups are calling on all political parties to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, set strong targets for clean renewable energy and energy efficiency and commit to reduce greenhouse pollution by at least 60% by 2050. It is also time for political parties to make polluters pay through an emissions trading scheme and/or carbon levy.
Australia’s Environment Groups are represented at the CSLF. For more information contact:
Climate Action Network Australia
Australian Conservation Foundation
Environment Victoria
Conservation Council of Western Australia