Antinuclear

Australian Greens are focusing on climate change – call for ‘climate emergency’ this year

Greens seek ‘climate emergency’ this year, SBS News 20 July 19

The Australian Greens are focusing on climate change and the need to transition to renewable energy at its annual conference in Adelaide.   The Australian Greens are demanding the country declare a “climate emergency” while calling for a royal commission into the Murray-Darling Basin plan.

Aside from those core messages at the party’s annual conference, Greens leader Richard Di Natale also had a crack at the Labor Party for capitulating on the Morrison government’s personal income tax cuts.

And he urged Australia to forge an independent, non-aligned foreign policy rather being tied to a “dangerous and unhinged” US President in Donald Trump.

It’s now clearer than ever that the Greens are the real opposition,” Senator Di Natale declared at the Greens national conference in Adelaide on Saturday in response to the actions of Labor since the May election.

“We don’t believe one thing before an election and another thing after it.”

Addressing reporters after his speech, Senator Di Natale said a key focus for the conference will be the transition from coal and fossil fuels to renewable energy.

“There needs to be a transition that brings tens of thousands of new jobs and that looks after people so that we are better off as a result of making this transition,” he said.

“Unless you accept that there is a serous problem you’re not going to come up with the solutions that are necessary to deal with it.”

Greens federal spokesman on climate change, Adam Bandt said he hopes to bring a motion to have the parliament declare a climate emergency before the end of the year.

He said the UK, France and Canada have already made such declarations, as has the ACT government. Labor and the crossbench also took climate change policies to the election.

“We think there is a really good chance in having the parliament unanimously declare a climate change emergency before the end of the year,” Mr Bandt told reporters……. https://www.sbs.com.au/news/greens-seek-climate-emergency-this-year

July 22, 2019 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | AUSTRALIA - NATIONAL, climate change - global warming, politics