The bushfire Royal Commission findings put climate change front and centre, and yet the Federal Government has largely ignored climate in its response to Australia's biggest ever catastrophe.
The Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements made it clear that climate change drove the Black Summer bushfires and today, we had another devastating reminder of what Australia is in for with the release of the State of the Climate 2020 report by Australia's leading science agencies, the Bureau of Meteorology and the CSIRO," said the Climate Council's CEO, Amanda McKenzie.
The State of the Climate 2020 report found Australia is already experiencing worsening impacts including extreme heat, rising sea levels, longer fire seasons and more dangerous fire weather – with worse to come.
"Despite this, we have once again witnessed the Federal Government putting its head in the sand on climate change," said Ms McKenzie.
"If this government does not start looking around at the states, territories, and overseas to our major trading partners like the US, the UK and China, who are taking progressively stronger action – its legacy will be one of failure," she said.
"Failure to address climate change, failure to protect our economy, failure to protect jobs and failure to protect Australian lives," said Ms McKenzie.
"The Federal Government has responded to some recommendations that give it more powers, evaded others such as developing Australia's large aerial firefighting capability, but steadfastly refuses to tackle what the Royal Commission detailed as being the root cause of why extreme weather is worsening in the first place," said Greg Mullins, former Commissioner of Fire and Rescue NSW and founder of ELCA.
