Antinuclear

To shut the Climate Change Authority is an attack on future generations

Abbott shuts down Climate Commission (includes opinion poll) Tom Arup Environment editor, The Age 19 Sept 13  A spokeswoman for Mr Hunt said he had also  approved a brief to begin drafting  a bill to repeal the separate Climate Change Authority as part of the Coalition’s broader efforts to remove the carbon price.

She said the government would hold more discussions with the authority in coming weeks.

While the Climate Commission could be abolished by the minister at any time, the authority can only be shut down by an act of Parliament.

The authority was created to advise the government on emissions-reduction targets and caps and to detail international efforts to combat climate change. It was due to release a draft of a report on targets and caps next month.

A Climate Change Authority spokeswoman said it  believed the government intended to abolish the agency through the repeal of legislation, but it did not have any further information at this time.

Greens leader Christine Milne said said issuing instructions to  close the authority was irresponsible in the face of dangerous climate change.

“The Climate Change Authority was set up to de-politicise the process of setting greenhouse emission reduction targets. Everyone knows that a 5 per cent emission reduction target is woefully inadequate,” Senator Milne said. “Shutting down the Climate Change Authority, ahead of its first report on fair and science based emission reduction targets for Australia, is cowardly and an attack on current and future generations.”  http://www.theage.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/abbott-shuts-down-climate-commission-20130919-2u185.html#ixzz2fSelP96C

September 20, 2013 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | AUSTRALIA - NATIONAL, climate change - global warming, politics