The way forward for Australia on climate

There are moments in time when global threats arise, and when action is imperative. One of the major risks to the security of people around the world is climate change.

Never has there been a greater need for inspiring leadership to protect and defend our future against the rising threat of climate change.

We know that our world's temperature is now rising unusually fast. Climate change has the potential to threaten millions of lives, the capacity of the world to feed itself, the availability of fresh water, the control and spread of disease, the survival of species, the direction in which our oceans flow and the severity of our weather.

The choice is before us: Do we sit and wait for climate change to get worse, or do we draw on our heritage of innovation and resilience to help prevent the worst-case scenarios of climate change from occurring?

This group proposes the following set of solutions to lower the risk that climate change will reach a dangerous level:

1. REDUCE: Australia's political leaders must work with business and the community to take immediate action to cut our greenhouse gas emissions by 60% by 2050.

2. TRADE: Establish market mechanisms to trade greenhouse gas emissions, providing the business sector with a powerful tool to meet reduction targets.

3. ACT: All Australians to take responsibility for their own role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions by using energy more wisely.

4. ADAPT: Put in place measures to minimise the impacts of climate change, from building improvements to deal with more intense storms, to investing in new agricultural industries which require less fresh water.

5. INNOVATE: New business opportunities must be developed and implemented as the rest of the world moves to low carbon
energy futures.

6. LEAD: A leadership role must be taken to identify and implement solutions to reduce the impacts of human-induced climate change.
As one of the wealthiest and best-educated nations in our region, we can share our innovations and technologies with nations of the
Asia Pacific.

Why should Australia attempt to sort out the climate change problem? After all, we know that even if we halted all our emissions tomorrow, ongoing global climate change would still damage our country.

The reason we must is that dangerous climate change is a potential global outcome that would hurt Australia. The reason we can is because we have always 'punched well above our weight' in international forums and have been leaders in formulating and implementing good ideas. Australia has led the world in the establishment of voting rights for women, universal suffrage, fair wages for all and human rights.

Bold leadership, not just from politicians, business leaders, and scientists, but from all Australians is our best way forward.

Tony Coleman
Professor Ove Hoegh-Gulberg
Professor David Karoly
Professor Ian Lowe
Professor Tony McMichael
Dr Chris Mitchell
Dr Graeme Pearman
Dr Peter Scaife
Anna Reynolds

The Australian Climate Group
June 2004

[link]