Like you, we have watched the slow-motion train wreck that is Australia’s climate response in horror for a long time. For years, we have called for action when not many were prepared to take note.
Now, something finally seems to be shifting. We are seeing strong indications that the government could be doing a 180 (or at least turn the corner) on climate policy. Here’s why.
Peer pressure
Industry leaders with close ties to the government – many of which opposed climate action for years – are now calling for an urgent response to combat the climate disaster. The group made up of 10 business, industry, farming and environmental leaders released an extraordinary statement calling for urgent action.
It warns Australia is “woefully unprepared” for the impact of climate change over the coming decades. It urges the government to do far more to cut emissions and improve the country’s resilience. Without a coherent national response, it says, Australia’s future prosperity would be at risk.
Key players in these industries have taken note and are already making sweeping changes by sourcing carbon neutral technologies that maintains their profitability. Agriculture, for example, is particularly vulnerable to a changing climate. Farming takes up 51% of Australian land and contributes 14 % of national emissions. A new generation of farmers pioneering in new technology are showing how net-zero emissions can be achieved.
International pressure
Also, as The Conversation reported, under Biden the US would no longer be a climate pariah – and that would leave Morrison exposed. In his election bid Biden outlined a US$2 trillion clean energy and infrastructure plan, a commitment to rejoin the Paris climate agreement and a goal of net-zero emissions by 2050.
During his presidency Trump has rolled back climate regulations and plans for a US withdrawal from the Paris agreement. But, with Trump now behind in the polls, a Biden presidency would expose the Morrison government’s lack of climate ambition.
Bushfire threat
While we are fighting our way through the ongoing COVID onslaught, many Australians are still reeling from last year’s bushfire devastation. And if that isn’t bad enough, spring is on its way and bushfire season is about to start. In NSW, the skies have turned to grey again in some places – it’s a sickening reminder for residents that the bushfire threat is never far away.
Morrison will be keen not to repeat last year’s gaffes.
And, with political infighting at a minimum due to the pandemic, we may just see climate policy take a new direction.
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