Catholic Religious Australia (CRA), in Open Letters to the Prime Minister and Minister for Climate Change and Energy of Australia, has called on the government to adopt a strong national climate pollution reduction plan with an evidence-based target of net zero emissions by 2035.
All countries party to the Paris Agreement are required to detail their 2035 climate targets by this year, ahead of the climate summit in Brazil in November (COP 30). Australia is yet to release its target and supportive plan, and CRA has urged the government to ensure that Australia fairly contributes to limiting global heating to less than 1.5°C by committing to reach net zero climate pollution by 2035.
“Pope Leo XIV, in his message for the Tenth World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, has lamented that nature has been reduced to a commodity to be bartered for economic or political gain, with God’s creation turned into a battleground for the control of vital resources,” said Br Gerard Brady CFC, CRA President.
“In order to reach net zero by 2035, Australia must stop its economic reliance on fossil fuel extraction and export and instead develop a clear plan to develop our clean energy sector,” he added.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has warned that every degree of warming beyond 1.5°C will have devastating and irreversible consequences for the planet. According to some of Australia’s top climate scientists, a 2035 target of net zero emissions is necessary for achieving a greater than 50% chance of staying below 1.5°C of warming.
“Australia is currently experiencing climate-fuelled extreme weather events and their dire consequences. Our warmest sea-surface temperatures on record are contributing to persistent algal bloom, which has killed thousands of marine animals on South Australia’s coastline. Meanwhile on the East Coast, recent wild storms have caused widespread damage to infrastructure,” said Anne Walker, CRA National Executive Director.
“Our Pacific neighbours also continue to bear the brunt of climate change, with one third of Tuvalu’s citizens now having applied for the Australian Climate Change Visa program as rising sea levels pose an existential threat,” added Ms Walker. “While the Government’s support for Pacific climate refugees is welcomed, we must be far more proactive in reducing the emissions that are placing these Island nations at grave risk in the first place.”
MEDIA ENQUIRIES: Corinne Fagueret |T: 02-95572695 | E: cpc@catholicreligious.org.au