The Australian Greens say that despite a negative campaign against action on climate change and death threats against prominent scientists and carbon tax activists, a positive community movement that supports a clean, renewable energy-based economy will win out.
Over the weekend, thousands of people rallied in major cities as part of the national “Say Yes” campaign, supporting the government’s plans to put a price on carbon, which the Greens say is a signal that Australians wanted to see action on climate change.
According to the event’s organisers, nearly 45,000 Australians took part in rallies occurring simultaneously in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth, Hobart and Canberra.
“We have a positive movement in the broad community who want to see our climate protected, who want to see Australia build a new, clean, healthy economy for all of us,” said acting Greens leader, Christine Milne.
“Australians want to see a big investment in clean, renewable energy. They know that we cannot afford to simply let climate change continue and that any costs we face now will be far less than the costs that the climate crisis would bring.”
Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan joined the crowd at the Say Yes rally in Brisbane, insisting he was there to lend his voice to the pro-carbon tax call, not in his role as a federal Labor MP, but as a private citizen.
But in his weekly Economic Note to the nation, the Treasurer referred Treasury modelling which shows Australia’s renewable electricity sector (including hydro-electric power) is projected to be six times bigger than it is today. In short, Mr Swan said, “dirty energy will become more expensive and clean energy cheaper under a carbon price, creating the jobs of the future and helping to protect our environment and our economy.”
