Abstract
The Paris accords will not deliver us from the worst impacts of climate change, even if the pledges are fully implemented. Even more concerning, hardly any countries are on track to achieve even these inadequate pledges. Australia’s emissions are set to far exceed our Paris target. Yet our national discourse is around ‘secure and reliable’ energy rather than a proper review of climate policy, setting up the likelihood of a weak response to both.
The world must begin to reduce emissions by 2020, and fossil fuels must be displaced by 2050 if the world is to meet the objective of keeping global temperatures “well below 2 degrees Celsius”. The government must be brought to account on the reality of climate change and the urgency of climate policy. If there are climate deniers / doubters in the cabinet room, make them speak up, so their opinions can be challenged by the science, not hidden under the fig leaf of secure and reliable energy policy.
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