More than 700 health professionals have written to Prime Minister Scott Morrison to express their professional concern with Angus Taylor's failure to fulfill his responsibilities as the Minister for Emissions Reduction.
"We are health professionals and organisations bearing witness to the harm Mr Taylor's failure to reduce emissions is causing to the health of Australians," the letter reads.
"We are also united by our concern about the climate crisis and the impact it is having on the safety and wellbeing of Australians and our neighbours. Public health is inextricably linked to climate health. Climate damage is here now - and it is killing people."
The letter says Minister Taylor is failing in his ministerial duties by:
- allocating public money to gas and other polluting fossil fuel projects while overseeing a 50% decline in large-scale renewables investment from a record high in 2018-19;
- failing to reduce Australia's emissions in line with our international obligations;
- and, not committing Australia to a 2050 net zero emissions target.
Fiona Armstrong, Executive Director of the Australian Climate and Health Alliance, said:
"Climate change is a health emergency. It means more bushfires, more dangerous heatwaves, the spread of tropical diseases, and an increase in heat-related illnesses and deaths. We urge our political leaders to commit to urgent climate action by reducing greenhouse gas emissions in line with what the science demands."
Kelly O'Shanassy, the Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Conservation Foundation, which co-ordinated the letter, said:
"As Australia moves into another summer this is a crucial time for our government to show it is serious about climate change. At the moment, Australia is a global leader in per capita climate pollution. We urge Prime Minister Morrison to immediately replace Angus Taylor with a minister who is committed to the job of rapidly cutting emissions."
