18 November 2007
Media Release
Greens say the climate change buck stops at the ballot box
"It is time to acknowledge that we all share a responsibility to vote for the party with a genuine commitment to seriously tackle climate change on Saturday 24 November and that party is the Greens," says Greens candidate for Eden-Monaro, Keith Hughes.
"If this election campaign has taught us anything it is that public opinion remains way ahead of the major parties on global warming."
'The Howard Government's budget to counter global warming is about one quarter of its spending in the Iraq war, and that figure includes some very dodgy spending on such things as 'clean coal', that are pie in the sky or worse,' he says.
"If Kevin Rudd and John Howard are serious about tackling climate change, they must set targets and plan to achieve them now - not in 40 years' time when it will be all too late. The Greens are committed to constraining global warming to 2C, beyond which we risk uncontrollable, runaway climate change," Mr Hughes says.
"The Greens are calling for emissions reductions of 30% below 1990 levels by 2020, and at least 80% by 2050. Any less than that, and we can't be serious about avoiding 2C warming."
"How do we achieve these reductions'  The Greens are calling for a 25% mandatory renewable energy target by 2020; significant investment in renewable energy research and development; strong polices on energy efficiency; a redirection from tollways to fast, efficient and cheap public transport and an end to logging and the burning of native forests and woodlands," Mr Hughes says.
"Nuclear power is not the answer -after half a century of operation, the industry still hasn't found a way to safely store long-lived, radioactive nuclear waste. It is a dangerous, expensive and slow distraction from the main game in reducing emissions."

"The impacts of not addressing climate change include extinction of over one-third of the world's species, heat waves, frequent destructive storms, melting glaciers and rising seas."
"Failing to recognise the urgency of acting on Climate Change is no longer an option. The climate change buck cannot be passed on; it rests with the vote of every Australian at the ballot box this federal election."
"People who acknowledge they have a responsibility towards future generations will be voting Green," he says.