If the Government knew about IPCC projections, why has there been no action?

Alarming scientific projections of Australia's likely future in a warmer world are detailed in a leaked chapter of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) second report for 2007, but it's all old news to Environmental Minister Malcolm Turnbull, Australian Greens climate change spokesperson, Senator Christine Milne said today.

Senator Milne said the Minister is in denial, and his government fiddling while the planet burns.

"In just this past fortnight, the Government has voted against setting target for emissions, energy efficiency and renewable energy. This week, they even refused to support a Senate inquiry into the threat posed by sea-level rise across the country.

"Last night, the ABC's 7.30 Report revealed the first details of the IPCC's chapter on Australia and New Zealand. It is explicit about what we can expect over the coming decades and century. By 2050, it could be 3.4ºC hotter on average than it is now and almost double that increase, to 6.7ºC by 2080. There will be more intense and frequent bushfires and droughts, floods, landslides, heatwaves and storm surges.

"It's the kind of wake up call that you would think might spark a rapid and meaningful government response, but apparently the Environment Minister has long known all about the IPCC projections for Australia and is extremely relaxed about his government's lack of response," Senator Milne said.

Last night (29 March), Mr Turnbull told Lateline's Tony Jones:

"I mean we know about this, this has been published, the CSIRO has been writing about this for years so I'm glad that you think it's a revelation, I'm sorry to say that it isn't, it isn't, there's nothing new in that ...The IPCC report is based on peer-reviewed published science, everything in there is well known to us, we know that there is the possibility or the probability of a hotter and drier future in southern Australia."

"This begs the question; if it has known about the dire warnings and likely scenarios for so long, why hasn't the Howard Government acted decisively to implement a climate change policy that protects our future wellbeing and prosperity?

"If the Minister is well across the sea level rise projections and the devastating impacts detailed in this IPCC report, why did he make such a ridiculous statement on sea level rise to ABC RN Background Briefing on 3 February this year.

ELIZABETH JACKSON: What about rising sea levels?

MALCOLM TURNBULL: Well rising sea levels is an issue for design. We've got to start ensuring that - and this is essentially a State and indeed local government matter, but we have to work together to make sure that new developments take into account the prospect of rising sea levels... But you're talking about something less than a metre over 100 years. So this is not a sort of, you know, an Al Gore-type apocalypse that we're talking about ... There's a lot of very exaggerated claims and you have to bear in mind that most of our coastal population lives on the east coast of Australia and because of the geology or the typography of the east coast, you know, much of that is adequately elevated to deal with a one-metre sea rise."

"It's well past time for hot air from the Prime Minister and his ministers. They know what the scientists are saying, and they are morally obliged to act in the nation's best interest," Senator Milne said.