2024 was the hottest year in the recorded history of the earth. It was Australia’s second hottest year, only just cooler than 2019. Most climate scientists are still in agreement that it is possible to save the global climate from catastrophic collapse if the governments of countries with high emissions act together in the next five years to make big cuts in our greenhouse gas emissions.
Nannas have decided to give it our best shot. The international target set in the Paris Agreement of keeping the average temperature increase below 1.5 degrees has not yet been broken – so we say let’s get our governments to start acting like there’s an emergency – because every fraction of a degree of heating really matters.
The biggest driver of climate change is burning fossil fuels, so phasing them out is essential to effective climate action. We say no new coal and gas mines and infrastructure, and we call for the phasing out of existing mines as soon as possible.
We know we are up against a rich and powerful fossil fuel industry exerting influence in a myriad of ways over the major political parties as they push to expand their operations for decades into the future.
We cannot rely on shonky offsets, unproven technologies, and inadequate targets to reduce emissions. It is outrageous that the fossil fuel industry receives annual subsidies of around $14.5 billion.
Law Reform: The federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBCA) needs urgent reform to save the climate and nature. It has been widely accepted since the independent Samuel Review was published In 2021 that it is unfit for purpose, but little has changed.
The Albanese government promised to thoroughly reform the Act but the main demands of the environment movement have not been achieved. Nannas have been active in campaigns for a climate trigger in the legislation and for removal of the exemption of regional forests. We acknowledge that a water trigger was added for shale gas projects, but we have yet to see whether that will help precious water resources threatened by the massive gas fracking projects in the NT.