Deputy Greens Leader and International Aid & Global Justice spokesperson Senator Mehreen Faruqi has welcomed the Australian Government's decision to co-sponsor Vanuatu's UN bid to seek an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the rights of present and future generations to be protected from climate change.
The Greens, along with civil society groups, have been pushing Australia to step up and co-sponsor the resolution.
Senator Faruqi said:
"The Government's decision to co-sponsor Vanuatu's initiative is a positive signal to Pacific nations that Australia is starting to listen to them and their campaign for climate justice.
"Now, Australia has to back this up with strong, credible climate policy at home: a transition to renewables and no new coal and gas. Shamefully, Labor's safeguard mechanism policy is pro-coal and gas.
"The Government's decision is reportedly based on a recognition that the climate crisis is the single greatest threat to our Pacific neighbours. At the same time, the Government is nonetheless willing to make the climate crisis worse by opening new coal and gas."
"Wealthy, colonial countries of the Global North, including Australia, bear overwhelming responsibility for causing and driving the climate crisis. Australia must advocate for global climate justice and critically, must stop making the climate crisis worse by opening new coal and gas."
