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The Federal Government has warned that Australian natural icons could be threatened and damaged if the coalition fails to support Labor’s emissions trading scheme.
A government report has found that Australia’s 17 world heritage sites could be devastated by lower rainfall, rising sea levels, higher sea and land temperatures, ocean acidification and extreme weather events. It also warns that the iconic Sydney Opera House could be engulfed by high tides, 80% of Kakadu’s freshwater wetlands could be lost and the Great Barrier Reef could suffer catastrophic coral bleaching by 2050.
The report was prepared by the Australian National University for the Department of Environment. It also says that temperatures were likely to rise up to 5 degrees by 2070 under a high emissions scenario, with a 10% fall in average rainfall, lower stream flows, worsening water security and quality and cyclones, the future’s not looking bright for anyone. Unless we do something drastic now that is.
Environment Minister Peter Garrett said it was the first comprehensive report by any country into the impacts of climate change on all its World Heritage sites.
Unfortunately recent government activity hasn’t acted in favour to these black and white warnings, with the senate killing emissions trading scheme bills. The Greens said that the Government’s 2020 emissions reduction targets – between an unconditional 5% and a highly-conditional 25%, are too timid.
Family First’s Steve Fielding is yet to be convinced human activity is causing global warming, and in the end the Senate voted 42 to 30 to reject the bills. The Government must now wait three months before reintroducing the same legislation.
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