Australians, you can still add your names and join the call from 330,000 people on the Australian Parliament to declare a climate emergency. The official e-petition closes on 16 October 2019.
→ Update on 16 October 2019: The petition closed with a record-breaking count of 404,538 signatures.
“On September 20th, more than 300,000 Australians protested around the country, uniting with millions worldwide to demand that our governments take serious and immediate action.
You may have already seen a number of petitions circulating on social media, however there is an official parliamentary e-petition that closes on 16th October.
This petition already has close to 330,000 signatures, which is the biggest parliamentary e-petition in Australian history. The more signatures we can add, the loader the voice!
The link to this petition is below. Please sign if you haven’t already, and if you can spare 2mins please share this link on social media and ask any of your family, friends and colleagues to also sign and share!
→ www.aph.gov.au/petition_sign?id=EN1041
While petitions don’t change everything on their own, it shows our politicians that there are hundreds of thousands of voters who care about this issue, and it adds to the growing momentum of people demanding action!
Best wishes
Jason Gardner, Mornington Peninsula”
. . .
Petition EN1041: Declare a Climate Emergency
Petition reason
The overwhelming majority of climate scientists around the world have concluded that the climate is changing at unprecedented rates due to anthropogenic causes. The result of these changes will be catastrophic for future generations, and so we must act now to minimise both human and environmental destruction.
Petition request
We therefore ask the House to immediately act and declare a climate emergency in Australia. And introduce legislation that will with immediacy and haste reduce the causes of anthropogenic climate change.
Media coverage
→ ABC Triple J – 10 October 2019:
‘Climate emergency’ petition to Parliament reaches 300K signatures. Will it do anything?
→ SBS News – 30 September 2019:
Climate emergency e-petition secures parliamentary record
UPDATE – NOVEMBER 2019:
Government responds
The following was Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction Angus Taylor’s reply to the over 400,000 Australian signatories on 8 November 2019:
“Thank you for your letter of 22 October 2019 concerning petition EN1041 on declaring a climate emergency.
The Liberal National Government is taking real and practical action to reduce our emissions while ensuring a strong and prosperous economy.
We have strong targets as a part of a coordinated global action to reduce our emissions by 2030 by 26 to 28 per cent below 2005 levels. This target is achievable and responsible, and represents one of the most ambitious reductions in per capita emissions and emissions per unit of GDP among developed countries.
The Government has a track record that is the envy of the world in meeting and beating our targets. We are on track to overachieve our 2020 target by 367 million tonnes. This is a 1.1 billion tonne turnaround from the position we inherited when we came to office.
We have a clear plan to meet and beat our 2030 target through our fully-funded $3.5 billion Climate Solutions Package that has mapped out, to the last tonne, how to meet our 2030 target.
This package will:
• Support farmers, businesses and Indigenous communities reduce greenhouse gases;
• Bring new electricity generation projects on-line, such as Snowy 2.0 and the Battery of the Nation; and
• Support households and businesses improve energy efficiency and lower their power bills.
The Government is working to improve energy efficiency by reducing the energy used in appliances, equipment and buildings. This will reduce energy costs for households and businesses.
We are also supporting renewable generation technology and funding research into new technologies. The Government is leading the development of a National Hydrogen Strategy, which will be published by the end of the year. We have already invested more than $140 million into hydrogen projects, positioning Australia as a global leader in hydrogen production.
Australia is a world leader in per capita investment in clean energy, with more than double the investment of countries like the United Kingdom, Germany and France. This is an achievement Australians can be proud of.
Thank you for the opportunity to respond to the matters raised in this petition.
Yours sincerely
ANGUS TAYLOR