Garnaut Gives Up On Safe Climate

Garnaut Gives Up on Safe Climate

Canberra, Friday September 5, 2008: Prime Minister Kevin Rudd must go far beyond the 5 to 10 per cent 2020 target recommended by economist Professor Ross Garnaut, which flies in the face of the UN range agreed in Bali last year.

In his report, Professor Garnaut has all but given up on reaching a global agreement to combat catastrophic climate change.

'This is the Government's chief climate change advisor suggesting Mr Rudd write a death warrant for the Great Barrier Reef, the Kakadu National Park, and our international reputation', Greenpeace head of campaigns Steve Campbell said.

Professor Garnaut's suggestion that we accept an atmosphere with 550 parts per million greenhouse gas concentration would mean up to 39 per cent of the worlds species would become extinct, that there would be a 77 per cent chance that the Greenland ice sheets would melt irreversibly and 87 per cent of the worlds coral would die.

'Accepting this kind of damage to the planet is completely immoral', Mr Campbell said.

Professor Garnaut said today it would cost less than 1 per cent of gross national product for our contribution to keep carbon pollution down to 450 ppm.

'That is nothing to pay to secure the future of this planet,' Mr Campbell.

'It is far too early to give up on achieving a global agreement to achieve a safe climate.

'All countries must adopt a war footing and play to win this fight.'

There is hope of reaching a good global outcome, but it is vital that Australia positions itself as a leader.

The best way to do this is to adopt a target that shows international leadership. That means Mr Rudd must commit to reducing carbon emissions by at least 40 per cent on 1990 levels by 2020.

'Mr Rudd must use his international negotiation skills to get the rest of the developed world to do the same,' Mr Campbell said.

At the UN climate change talks in Bali last year, an emission reduction target range of 25 to 40 per cent for developed nations.

Professor Garnaut suggests Australia directly contravenes that agreement.

`If Mr Rudd accepts such a weak target, he is telling the rest of the world Australia is not the leader on climate change it appeared to be at Bali,' Greenpeace head of campaigns Steve Campbell said.

'He is saying that Australia puts profit over the security of our planet. Australia has a lot to lose from climate change and it is in our best interests to be leading with our own targets now, in order to bring about a global agreement,' Mr Campbell said.

Reducing emissions by more than 40 per cent on 1990 levels is achievable.

Earlier this year, Greenpeace released a report called Australia's Energy [R]evolution, which contained modelling proving that emissions can be cut by 37 per cent by 2020 in the energy and transport sectors alone by rolling out large-scale renewable energy and implementing energy efficiency measures.

For more information or for an interview with Steve Campbell, who is in Canberra today, please contact: Ria Voorhaar, Media Advisor, on 0400 376 021, or Steve Campbell on 0419 227 695.

To find our more about Australias Energy [R]evolution, visit: http://www.greenpeace.org.au/energyreport

SOURCE: Greenpeace