Lift-off on climate

The groundswell of direct action on climate change, abroad and at home, from the school strikers to Extinction Rebellion, is echoing in the federal parliament. Shadow minister for climate change and energy Mark Butler announced today that Labor will move for a climate-emergency declaration, joining the crossbenchers and the Greens who have their own motion in train. It is real progress, never mind who gets the credit.

Late yesterday afternoon, a dozen MPs from Labor and the crossbench, members of Parliamentary Friends of Climate Action, met in a committee room to hear a briefing from experts on the dire health threats to Australians from global warming of more than 1.5 degrees. Ahead of the meeting, co-chair Helen Haines revealed that she would move a motion for a national strategy on climate and agriculture, seconded by Centre Alliance’s Rebekha Sharkie. Deputy chair Zali Steggall told the meeting that climate action was the whole reason she had gone into politics: “We are working hard, it’s not business as usual.” Also attending were Adam Bandt, plus Labor MPs Ged Kearney, Anika Wells, Peta Murphy, Mike Freedlander, Libby Coker and Josh Burns.

It is hard to see a climate-emergency declaration passing this parliament. Those Liberal MPs who are friends of climate action – Tim Wilson, Trent Zimmerman, Jason Falinski, Dave Sharma and Angie Bell – missed yesterday’s briefing. No Nationals are friends of climate action, although global heating is linked to drought and extreme weather events that hit rural and regional electorates especially hard. Beleagured emissions reduction minister Angus Taylor, subject of fresh revelations in the Jam Land controversy today, told parliament that “whilst some in this place are keen on symbolism, we are keen on strong and meaningful action”, then regurgitated the misleading talking points we know so well.

Labor’s climate-emergency motion acknowledges that the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Portugal, Argentina and Ireland have declared a climate emergency. It is a sign that, despite internal divisions over the appropriate emissions reduction targets for 2030, the Opposition is not going to walk away from climate science. Prime Minister Scott Morrison today described Labor as “a climate fight club”, unable to agree on targets, and claimed that the motion would result in “the full banning of coalmining in Australia”. That’s over the top, but it will be hard for the Opposition to reconcile a climate-emergency declaration with the Queensland Labor government’s support for the Adani coalmine, and opening up a whole new thermal coal province in the Galilee Basin. Backbencher Ed Husic would not be drawn on that question on Sky News Australia this afternoon.

Yesterday’s briefing from the Climate and Health Alliance was frightening. Discussion of 1.5 and 2 degrees global warming doesn’t sound too bad, but that’s an average, and, as ANU public health expert Liz Hanna told the meeting, parts of Australia’s north will be nearly 14 degrees hotter. One slide showed Darwin exceeding 35 degrees every day of the year – the top end becoming physically uninhabitable, along with most of South-East Asia. Imagine the climate refugees.

It was fraught, but the Greens’ climate-emergency balloon finally got up today. With Labor, the Greens and the crossbenchers working together, progress this term may be possible.

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