No time for inaction from Sydney Labor
Newcastle Greens
3 February 2007
No time for inaction from Sydney Labor
The Sydney Labor government must respond to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) predictions of disastrous impacts by abandoning plans to expand the coal industry, the Greens candidate for Newcastle, Councillor Michael Osborne said today.
The IPCC report was released last night and predicts almost one metre sea level rise by the end of the century if governments adopt the ‘business as usual’ approach.
“The Sydney Labor government should not be dysfunctional about climate change – they should not sprout the right words about climate change while at the same time be considering building a new coal fired power station or expanding coal exports out of Newcastle or approving 22 new coal mining projects after the election,” Councillor Osborne said.
“Allowing any one of these projects to go ahead would fly in the face of the IPCC's warning that continued emissions will lead to appalling consequences.
“Approving Anvil Hill in the Upper Hunter would add more than 27 million tonnes of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere each year. That is more greenhouse emissions than come from the entire transport sector in NSW.
“Approving Anvil Hill would dwarf any reductions that the government might offer.
“The Sydney Labor government must support plans by the Greens to kickstart wind and solar energy manufacturing in the Hunter, not expand the coal industry and make the transition to a low carbon future,” Councillor Osborne said.
