Corporate Group: Australia "Woefully Unprepared" For The Climate Future That Is Now Inevitable

[hatrack]

Australia is "woefully unprepared" for the scale of the climate change threats it faces, and suffers from a public debate focused too much on the cost of action rather than the costs of failing to act, says a coalition of environment and business groups. "There is no systemic government response (federal, state and local) to build resilience to climate risks," says a paper published by the Australian Climate Roundtable, which includes climate groups such as the Australian Conservation Foundation and business bodies including the Business Council of Australia, Australian Industry Group and the Australian Aluminium Council.

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Jennifer Westacott, Business Council of Australia chief executive, said the Australia not only risked that embracing a net zero by 2050 policy could, "drive billions of dollars of new investment, create new jobs, create new industries, boost our resilience and build the stronger regions we’ll need to supercharge our recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic." That a group representing business, union and conservation groups could arrive at such strong language in its call for action suggested that the Morrison government was becoming more isolated in its climate change stance, said Australian Conservation Foundation chief executive Kelly O'Shanassy.

"The conversations we are having [at the Roundtable] are not the same as the ones we were having six years ago. Everyone except the government is on the same page now."

NSW environment minister Matt Kean, who is among the government leaders sent the statement, said that for too long climate change politics had been simplified to either stoking fear about the cost of reducing emissions or inciting guilt for living in a modern economy which emits carbon. "It is time that debate moved on. The science is in, climate change is already taking a toll on our country," he said. "The reality is that the world is moving to low carbon economies with ratings agencies, global investors and our trading partners looking to reduce their emissions."

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https://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate-change/nation-woefully-unprepared-for-climate-change-business-groups-warn-20200827-p55q0m.html

[Mickju]

1. They need to vote Labour.