Leading Australian health experts have lambasted the Morrison Government’s “contemptuous dismissal” of the latest IPCC climate report.
In a letter published in The Lancet, over 20 health professionals and scientists accuse the government of ignoring the findings of the IPCC Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 degrees. The report calls for an end to global fossil fuel emissions by 2050.
The letter’s authors include Nobel Laureates Peter Doherty and Professor Fiona Stanley. They say that, as the world’s largest coal exporter, Australia is also the most vulnerable to climate disruption.
Adverse climate change is already amplifying and extending the impacts of drought and heatwaves, they say.
“As with other established historical harms to human health (such as tobacco), narrow vested interests must be countered to bring about fundamental change in the consumption of coal and other fossil fuels.”
Health experts’ call for action following IPCC climate report
The Lancet letter calls for national and international communities to support a five-step action plan for solving the climate crisis. This includes:
- Committing to no new coal or expanded coal mines or coal-fired power stations. Phasing out existing coal stations and removing all subsidies for fossil fuel industries; and ending support for the Adani coal mine.
- Increasing the National Renewable Energy Target to 50% by 2030.
- Developing multisector regional transition plans for communities and regions affected by the phase-out of fossil fuel industries.
- Increasing Australia’s Nationally Determined Contributions under the Paris Agreement. Currently, the government is sticking to its economy-wide target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 26 to 28% below 2005 levels by 2030. The experts want to see this target increased to at least 50% by 2030.
- Finally, supporting Pacific Island nations to prepare for and adapt to climate change.
The letter calls Australia’s current disregard for these nations’ plight “shameful”.
Government could fund new coal despite climate science
Despite calls from leading business and renewable energy experts, the Morrison Government has unveiled plans to underwrite new “firm” generation.
The proposal opens the door to subsidies for so-called “clean coal” stations, and life extensions for existing coal-fired power plants.
The move also flies in the face of figures showing renewables like residential solar power now providing a quarter of electricity to the National Electricity Market.
