Queensland’s Minister for Environment and the Great Barrier Reef Leeanne Enoch has again called on the federal government to show real leadership in the fight against climate change.
This follows the release of a landmark report by the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) which suggests only 12 years remain to keep maximum global warming to 1.5C.
"The Palaszczuk Government’s 2050 target of zero net emissions, and 50 per cent renewable energy by 2030, closely aligns with the recommendations handed down in this latest IPCC report," Ms Enoch said.
"Unfortunately though, at a time when the world’s leading climate scientists are telling us we need to tackle this global challenge head on, we have a government in Canberra that refuses to believe the experts and the scientific facts.
"In our backyard, global warming stands as the biggest threat to the health of the Great Barrier Reef.
"Across Australia, our producers and rural communities are doing it tough with extended drought, we’re seeing bushfires more widespread, and cyclones are arriving with greater frequency and ferocity.
"We need a solid national framework for climate action – a seismic shift in how we generate energy and reduce pollution.
"Yet, all we see from the federal government is denial and a disastrous lack of policy as they continue to dance around the issue, hoping it will just disappear.
"The Palaszczuk Government is proud to lead the way in combating climate change, with ambitious targets and initiatives to drive down emissions and restore our natural environment.
"Our $500 million Land Restoration Fund will reward Queensland landholders and primary producers for reducing emissions and encourages land restoration – work strengthened by stronger vegetation management laws, which we passed through parliament this year.
"We are also pushing ahead with carbon farming, electric vehicle infrastructure, best management agriculture practices – which should be seen as opportunities, not hurdles, to growing our economy while also protecting our planet.
"Queensland will continue working towards delivering zero net emissions by 2050 and reaching our 50 per cent renewable energy target by 2030, but if we’re to avoid global climate catastrophe, we, as a country, need to work together."
