The world in our hands

Business & farming leaders urge Government climate action

A group including major business, industry, financial and farming leaders says Australia is “woefully unprepared” for future climate threats, and urges the Government to take decisive action, or risk our nation’s prosperity.

The Australian Climate Roundtable (ACR) says “Climate change is already having a real and significant impact on the economy and community”. Successful global climate action “is in Australia’s national interest”.

ACR’s statement

The ACR is “a broad alliance of major Australian business, environmental, farmer, investor, union and social welfare groups”, formed in 2014 to develop a common approach to climate policy.

After a series of 2020 workshops with climate, finance and energy experts and academics, ACR has released a statement which says:

“We believe Australia should play its fair part in global efforts to avert dangerous climate change and the serious economic, social and environmental impacts that unconstrained climate change would have on Australia.”

The statement says: “Climate change is already having a real and significant impact on the economy and community” and outlines some of these impacts:

  • economic damage from “significant impacts on coastal regions, agriculture, human productivity and infrastructure”;
  • “risks to financial stability and particularly the insurance industry”;
  • “major acute and long-lived human and community social and health impact”;
  • “irreversible damage to Australian unique natural heritage”; “significant threats to agriculture, forestry, nature-based tourism and fisheries” and “Australia’s domestic food security”; and
  • lower tax income will put governments under “fiscal stress“.

The urgent need for action

The ACR says contributing to successful global climate action “is in Australia’s national interest”, but Government inadequacies have left Australia “woefully unprepared”.

The Roundtable makes half a dozen business-focused recommendations, including the Commonwealth Government setting a goal for net-zero emissions by 2050.

The recommendations are generally about process, not important actions such as phasing out fossil fuels and turning to renewable energy. But they are an important start.

It’s the economy …..

The Roundtable recognises that this isn’t just a human issue or an environmental issue. It is also hard economics.

If we fail to achieve net-zero global emissions by 2050, it is “unlikely that Australia and the world can remain prosperous”.

A message to our government and our local member

Our government seems to find it easy to dismiss the well substantiated findings of scientists. This statement by these hard-headed business, financial and farming leaders is harder to ignore.

Our government and our local member must take these recommendations seriously otherwise they will harm Australia’s future. And that includes our economic future.

Let’s use this statement

This statement has credibility. It will speak to Government because it is expressed in economic terms.

We can quote it as we lobby government and interact with our local politicians.

Will you respond?

Please share this post. Please consider writing to your local state and Commonwealth representative, using this ACR statement.

Graphic: Morguefile