Antinuclear

Griffith bye election: only the Greens care about climate change

Senator Milne said major parties were ignoring the preliminary warning signs of climate change and the implications that had for rural and tourism jobs.

“You cannot deal with droughts in Australia without acknowledging global warming”

The Griffith byelection is being held on February 8

Greens use Griffith to push for climate change action , SMH, 4 Feb 14 Tony Moore brisbanetimes.com.au senior reporter In 2007, climate change was deemed the most important issue of a generation. The bigger issue of climate change subsequently got lost in a complex argument, over two elections, about the merits of a carbon tax.

Seven years on, as Australia faces up to record summer temperatures and more intense cyclones, it has again been bought into focus by the Greens.

On Monday in Brisbane, Greens leader Senator Christine Milne chided the major parties for decisions which she said appeared to ignore the impact of climate change. She was in the city to support the Greens campaign to win the seat of Griffith, left vacant by Kevin Rudd’s retirement…….

Senator Milne said major parties were ignoring the preliminary warning signs of climate change and the implications that had for rural and tourism jobs.

UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee will rule in June on  whether the Great Barrier Reef should be classed as endangered or not.

“Risking an ’endangered’ listing for the Great Barrier Reef is an assault on the  tourism industry, on the 63,000 jobs that are associated with it,” she said.

“But more importantly, on the reef itself which is suffering because of the impacts of bleaching, acidification and now the human-induced damage simply to advance the coal industry and the gas industry in Queensland.”……

Greens candidate Geoff Ebbs said major parties had neglected the main issues facing Australia in the future.

“There has been no action on climate change and there is no action on building an economy not based on fossil fuels,” Mr Ebbs said…….

Senator Milne questioned the long-term thinking behind that and pointed to Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce and his drought concerns for farmers.

“It is not one-off,” Senator Milne said.

“What we ought to be doing is planning a long-term future for people on the land.

“And that means factoring in the impacts of climate change, factoring in the changed agricultural practices that we need to manage land,’’ she said.

“You cannot deal with droughts in Australia without acknowledging global warming……

The Griffith byelection is being held on February 8.
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/federal-politics/greens-use-griffith-to-push-for-climate-change-action-20140203-31wtf.html#ixzz2sNoPWIMv

February 4, 2014 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics, Queensland