A new report released by the federal Climate Change Minister has prompted calls for intervention from Labor Premier Chris Minns, as reporting reveals potential for a 400% increase in heatstroke deaths in Sydney and agricultural devastation for regional communities in New South Wales.
Given the risk to New South Wales families, Greens MP and Spokesperson for Climate Sue Higginson has written to Chris Minns requesting an urgent Premier's directive to ensure New South Wales meets its emissions reduction targets, which are so far off-track.
Sue Higginson, Greens MP, Lismore resident and Spokesperson for Climate Change said:
"It's hard to know which is worse - those in the Liberal National Coalition who deny climate change is real and ignore the science of climate action, or Labor Governments who acknowledge devastating climate impacts before ignoring the climate science anyway,"
"If Labor Premier Chris Minns was serious about meeting his own climate targets, he would be avoiding 76 million tonnes of carbon emissions between now and 2050, all he has to do is stop logging our public native forest estate. Given NSW Forestry Corp's multi-million-dollar losses every year, this is a decision the Premier could make without costing New South Wales a cent,"
"Labor has essentially admitted today that they know about the destruction their coal and gas approvals are causing, but they're still going to ignore the science that says we must not approve a single new coal and gas project if we want to avert 1.5 degrees of warming anyway,"
"This report details hundreds of billions in financial losses, thousands of Sydneysiders dead from heatstroke, productivity collapsing, our workforce disintegrating, and widespread disease. As a Lismore resident, I've seen these impacts up close. I've seen thousands of houses wiped out overnight, which has not only permanently impacted lives, it has drastically exacerbated the housing crisis that not even billions could fix. I've seen thousands of cattle dead and agricultural economies obliterated,"
"Labor saw these numbers, they saw the devastation of floods and fires, and then they decided to approve the North West Shelf, approve the Ulan Coal Mine expansion, and extend the life of Australia's largest coal-fired power station Eraring,"
"Labor might have had a stronger position on the climate before the election - but our climate doesn't care what's on page 44 of the ALP platform, the climate responds to how much pollution is going to the atmosphere,"
"The indisputable fact is that we are burning and approving more coal and gas because of Labor's decisions. We must change course, and that means an immediate moratorium on new coal and gas,"
"The costs are in favour of climate action. It's more affordable to fund the transition plan for fossil fuel workers and a rapid expansion of publicly-owned renewable energy, than to pay for escalating climate fuelled natural disasters,"
"I have written to the Premier requesting that he issue an urgent Premier's directive to his Ministers, to ensure New South Wales meets its 2030 climate target. The Premier's response will be telling - does he care about human lives, or does he only care about the power and influence of the fossil fuel donors?" Ms Higginson said.
