{"id":31011,"date":"2015-12-02T12:19:51","date_gmt":"2015-12-02T01:19:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nofibs.com.au\/?p=31011"},"modified":"2019-04-16T13:31:18","modified_gmt":"2019-04-16T03:31:18","slug":"australian-pm-malcolm-turnbull-at-cop21-all-style-little-substance-reports-takvera-from-paris","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.nofibs.com.au\/australian-pm-malcolm-turnbull-at-cop21-all-style-little-substance-reports-takvera-from-paris\/","title":{"rendered":"PM Malcolm Turnbull at #COP21: all style little substance reports @takvera from Paris"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\nAustralian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull waltzed onto the stage at the UN Climate Conference Loire plenary room on Monday afternoon. He was suave and eloquent. All style, but there was little of substance, or new commitments in his speech.<\/p>\n

He announced that Australia was not only going to meet our 5 per cent target by 2020, but we were going to exceed it. “We will meet and beat our 2020 emissions reduction target.” he said. <\/p>\n

But he gave no commitment to actually setting a new pre-2020 target to aim for. <\/p>\n

Our current pre-2020 target puts us at the back of the pack with regard to carbon pollution reduction effort prior to 2020.<\/p>\n

If every country took this attitude, then the world would be well on the way to 4 degrees global warming. <\/p>\n

And the real sticking point is that Australia will exceed this target not essentially from any positive climate policy program of the Government but mainly due to large industrial and manufacturing closures and restructuring (closure of automobile industry, closure of aluminium smelter) and lower consumer demand for electricity. All us small people installing solar panels or solar hot water systems has also had an impact on electricity demand. Over 1.4 million homes are now in the solar PV revolution contributing to lower electricity demand.<\/p>\n

It is clear Australia needs to step up it’s action. Over 170,000 Australians marched over the weekend for greater climate action and climate justice. Melbourne had it’s largest climate rally ever with 60,000 people<\/a>. We saw some of the biggest climate rallies in the world which should tell Malcolm Turnbull something about public opinion on this issue.<\/p>\n

In his speech Turnbull announced ratification of Kyoto Protocol 2: this is the legacy agreement to take us to 2020. The Government has been sitting on this for a long time, and while welcome, only signifies a small change in emphasis, but never the less, is welcome.<\/p>\n

The Government should have used the opportunity to formally increase Australia\u2019s 2020 carbon pollution reduction target at least in line with the Climate Change Authority recommendation of 19 per cent<\/a>, but perhaps as high as 25 percent as was in our conditional range stated at Copenhagen in 2009.<\/p>\n

Or used the opportunity to start the phase out of fossil fuel subsidies as recommended by the International Energy Agency, International Monetary Fund and World Bank. Instead he caved in to the Liberal Party right wing and National Party members and refused to sign the Fossil Fuel Pledge adopted by 40 nations on the first day of the summit.<\/p>\n

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This is disgusting. Turnbull is a puppet: "Australia rejects fossil fuel pledge at #cop21<\/a> https:\/\/t.co\/RCjLQsn7ps<\/a> #auspol<\/a> #vanvsparis<\/a><\/p>\n

— Van Badham (@vanbadham) November 30, 2015<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n