First Australian state parliament declares a climate emergency

Posted on by Mik Aidt

On 31 May 2022, a motion declaring Australia is facing a climate emergency passed both the Lower and Upper House of the South Australian Parliament. The motion also recognised that climate change is already costing lives and destroying vital ecosystems around the world.

South Australian Climate Minister Susan Close introduced the climate emergency declaration, saying: “What we need to do is acknowledge the truth that this constitutes an emergency, and then we need to act on that.”

South Australia is a state in the southern central part of Australia with a population of 1.7 million people. With a total land area of close to one million square kilometres, it covers some of the most arid parts of the country.

Minister Close reaffirmed the urgent need to decarbonise the South Australian economy and shift to renewable sources of energy. In October 2021, she had tabled a climate emergency petition with more than 10,000 signatures from South Australians demanding immediate action.

10,000 signatures is a threshold for a formal on-paper petition – the point at which a petition is to be taken seriously by the parliamentarians under the South Australian legislation. The signatures had been collected by various SA citizens, including activists from Australian Parents for Climate Action, Extinction Rebellion South Australia and Cedamia, lead by Margaret Hender, who also was co-founder of the first federal Climate Emergency Declaration petition in 2016.


“It’s time to act”
“After years of Liberal inaction on climate change, it’s time to act and that starts with acknowledging the seriousness of the climate crisis,” minister Close told a national tv station.

Interviews and news stories about the declaration were reported widely in Australia’s national mainstream media.

Close also wrote in a Facebook post:

“Parliament has voted (both houses) to acknowledge the truth that we’re in a climate emergency. We’re the first state parliament to be honest with the public about this. Our hydrogen plan and revoking the Liberal EV tax are some of the actions we’re taking to deal with the need to rapidly decarbonise.”
~ Susan Close, South Australian Climate Minister


BACKGROUND

A similar motion had been passed by the South Australian parliament’s Legislative Council on 25 September 2019. It was introduced by Mark Parnell and passed the Upper House, but was not passed in the Lower House.

This new motion was similar but not the same a the one passed by the upper house in 2019. Three of the four clauses were the same.

The Upper House motion in 2019 said:

That this council —
1. Recognises that global average temperature, atmospheric greenhouse gases and ocean acidity are already at dangerous levels;
2. Notes that around the world, climate change impacts are already causing loss of life and destroying vital ecosystems;
3. Declares that we are facing a climate emergency; and
4. Commits to restoring a safe climate by transforming the economy to zero net emissions.


The 31 May 2022 motion passed by both houses was:

That this house —
(a) notes the most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report confirms that greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, and current plans to address climate change are not ambitious enough to limit warming to 1.5° Celsius above pre-industrial level — a threshold scientists believe is necessary to avoid more catastrophic impacts;

(b) notes that around the world, climate change impacts are already causing loss of life and destroying vital ecosystems;

(c) declares that we are facing a climate emergency; and

(d) commits to restoring a safe climate by transforming the economy to zero net emissions.



The Liberal opposition proposed amendments, which were rejected, with the original motion then passing unanimously in the Lower House. The Liberal opposition voted against the motion in the Upper House but it passed with Labor and cross bench support.


EXAMPLES OF MEDIA COVERAGE

of the South Australian Climate Emergency Declaration:

→ Sky News – 1 June 2022:
South Australia declares climate emergency

Starts 0:54

→ 7News – 1 June 2022:
SA parliament declares climate emergency
“The South Australian parliament has passed a motion declaring a climate emergency, reaffirming an urgent need to decarbonise the state’s economy.”
34,000 views on Facebook

→ 9News | AAP – 1 June 2022:
SA parliament declares climate emergency
“A motion declaring Australia is facing a climate emergency has passed the upper house of the South Australian parliament. Moved by Greens MP Mark Parnell, the motion also recognises that climate change is already costing lives and destroying vital ecosystems around the world.”


→ GLAM Adelaide – 31 May 2022:
Climate emergency declaration passes in Parliament
“Minister Close last year tabled a petition with more than 10,000 signatures from South Australians demanding immediate action on climate change.”

→ The New Daily | AAP – 1 June 2022: ‘
South Australian parliament declares climate emergency
“The Labor government’s climate emergency motion passed both houses of state parliament, reaffirming the urgent need to decarbonise SA’s economy…”

→ Perth Now | AAP – 1 June 2022:
SA parliament declares climate emergency
“South Australia has joined other governments and jurisdictions around the world in declaring a climate emergency.”

→ Doctors for the Environment Australia – 1 June 2022:
Facebook video post

→ Cedamia – 4 June 2022:
South Australia declared a Climate Emergency
Background info on the South Australian climate emergency declaration. Please share to people wanting their own state to declare a climate emergency.