Friends of the Earth
Press Release
australian elections – voters can save
great barrier reef from climate change
Australians will vote on whether to save
their natural icons such as the Great Barrier
Reef from being destroyed by climate change
when they go to the polls in the Australian
Federal Election today (Sat Oct 9).
Australia has the highest per capita
greenhouse gas emission rates on the planet
at about 26.7 tonnes per person - twice the
average level of other wealthy countries
(13.4 tonnes) and 25% higher than emissions
per person in the United States (21.2 tonnes)
- but the current Howard government has
refused to ratify the Kyoto protocol despite
Australia’s natural barrier reef, wet tropics
and alpine regions being threatened by
climate change.
Voters will choose between the incumbent
Howard Coalition Government and the
opposition Labor Party, led by Mark Latham,
with the politicians holding opposing views
on Kyoto and the environment.
Under Howard, Australia is currently
Bush’s closest ally in opposing the Kyoto
Protocol, contrasting with the Labor Party’s
promise to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, protect
Australia’s biggest river, the Murray River,
which is on the verge of collapse and protect
all the old growth forests of Tasmania, an
area of forest with world heritage values
under immediate threat from the logging
industry.
With Russia’s recent announcement that it
will ratify Kyoto, the election of a Labor
Government in Australia would leave the Bush
administration in the United States
completely isolated on climate change and
Kyoto ratification.
Friends of the Earth believes that since
coming to power in 1996 the Coalition
Government in Australia has consistently
failed to protect the environment, meet the
needs of Indigenous people, and has damaged
Australia's international reputation,
unfairly targeted and treated refugees, and
set shamefully low levels of foreign aid.
Friends of the Earth International Climate
Change spokesperson Catherine Pearce
said:
"If Australian’s fail to vote for a
political party that will ratify Kyoto the
Australian environment will suffer
irreparable harm and the global fight against
climate change and to conserve biodiversity
will take a significant step back. Both
parties should be committing to the 60%
reduction in greenhouse pollution required by
2050 if we are to avoid dramatic impacts from
climate change, but the Labor Party at least
has shown it has listened to the concerns of
the Australian people on environmental
issues.”
Notes for Editors:
• The Australian Government threatened to
walk out of the original Kyoto protocol
negotiations if parties to the conference
refused to allow them an increase in their
national greenhouse gas emissions. These
tactics secured an agreement to allow
Australia an 8% increase of emissions over
1990 levels. Since then Australia has
exceeded this unfair entitlement and now
emits around 16% over 1990 levels.
• The Tasmanian old growth forest crisis
has turned into the crunch environmental
issue in the Australian election. A collation
of leading environmental groups has been
campaigning to save 240,000 hectares of old
growth forest under threat from the woodchip
industry. Gunns, one of the most destructive
corporations in Australia, is wood-chipping
old growth forest which is exported to Japan
to make into paper. The Tasmanian old growth
forests are home to the tallest hardwood
trees in the world which can reach over 90
metres in height and many rare and endangered
wildlife, including the wedge tailed eagle
and the spotted tailed quoll, a carnivorous
marsupial. Campaigners from around the world
have been supporting the call for the
protection of these forests which have global
biodiversity value.
For further information please
contact:
Ed Matthew – Forest Campaigner
Mob: 07813 027105
Catherine Pearce
International Climate Change Campaigner
direct line: ++44 (0)20 7566 1723
mobile: ++44 (0) 7811 283641
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