The WA Greens have condemned both the state, and federal governments, after a UK Grantham Institute study revealed Australia to be the first developed country to take a backwards legislative step against climate change.
WA Greens spokesperson Robin Chapple MLC said it was embarrassing to be singled out by the report given UN climate change negotiations are being held in Bonn, Germany this week.
“I would say it is very likely that we will be facing international reprimands when our federal representatives stand before the meeting to justify our climate change inactions,” he said.
“As a nation we are getting further and further out of step with the increasing commitments of the global community, especially other developed countries in Europe and North America; our economic equals.
“Australia’s historical argument about an on-par response with our global peers no longer stands up. As a nation our action on climate change, as highlighted by the UK Grantham Institute report, is grossly inferior.
Mr Chapple said the Abbott government’s abolition of a price on carbon and recent cuts to Australia’s Renewable Energy Target were clear indicators of our lacklustre attitude towards genuine action.
“Whilst the rest of the world adopts and improves upon carbon pricing schemes not only as a way of incentivising greenhouse gas emission reduction, but as a viable means of raising revenue, Australia’s political climate has trashed the very idea,” he said.
“Similarly our RET, already much lower than so many of our international counterparts, has just been reduced further because, heaven forbid, we might actually surpass it!
“This meeting in Bonn could have been an opportunity for Australia to show that we can be world leaders on climate change, an issue that is rapidly becoming the greatest of our time.
“Instead, our reputation as a climate change laggard will be further cemented when our elected representatives stand up tomorrow and continue to trumpet policies that don’t work.”
For comment please contact Robin Chapple on 0409 379 263 or 9486 8255.
Media liaison: Tim Oliver // 0431 9696 25
