The first demand, and the one that all the other demands lead from, is to tell the truth. A democracy cannot function if people don’t know the truth of what is happening in the world.
The earth is warming. Australia is warming. Data from the Bureau of Meteorology, shown below using shades of blue and red to represent temperatures below and above the average temperature, suggests that Australia has already warmed by more than 1 degree celsius. The overwhelmingly evidence is that this warming is due to human activity.
Source: Climate Lab Book visualisation, showing Australian Bureau of Meteorology data.
Australia is not the largest global emitter, but we have a significant role to play, as a developed country and especially as the world’s largest coal exporter. In the last year, many countries have committed to reaching net-zero emissions over the next 20 to 30 years. 127 countries are considering or have adopted net-zero targets. Australia is not one of them. We must take action now to transition our economy and help build global momentum toward achieving net-zero.
