The Time is Now

I feel cautiously optimistic. There is a growing realisation amongst people in Australia (the youth in particular) that the threat of climate change is no longer generations into the future. It's not a far away concept anymore where we don't see tangible consequences in the news every other day. 2018 was Australia's third hottest year on record. Rainfall levels were the lowest since 2005. Bushfires came early, coastal regions saw floods and erratic weather patterns were noticed all around the country. Drought conditions intensified and farmers in particular, suffered. Prof Will Steffen from Climate Council commented "We are concerned that there may be a point of no return a few decades down the track where we actually lose control of the climate system".

Australian Federal Elections are coming up next month. Nationwide polls are showing that the public attitude towards climate policies is shifting. According to a recent poll, only 13% Australians believe the government is doing a good job of addressing climate change. The drought in particular made many realise that climate change has the potential to destroy livelihoods for generations to come. The government's stance on climate action will play a pivotal role in the upcoming elections. 

When we talk about environmental issues in Australia, you cannot skip talking about the mega controversial coal mine project by Adani. The project aims to dig the biggest coal mine in Australian history. The catastrophic impacts of the project include, but are not limited to, releasing close to 5 billion tonnes of carbon pollution to the atmosphere, getting access to almost 300 billion litres of Queensland's groundwater (for free, might I add!) and severe coral bleaching in the great barrier reef. Just this week Environment Minister Melissa Price granted federal approval to the coal mine, strategically signing off right before the elections. The current government insists that the project has been subjected to a multitude of conditions which will restrict its environmental impacts. But that is hard to believe. What is disappointing is that the opposition has primarily taken a lukewarm approach as well, with no strong promises on how it will restrict the harmful environmental impacts of the project.

This is all happening at a time when it is clear that in order for the world to keep warming well below 2 degree celsius, we'll need to leave fossil fuels in the ground. Australia needs to take a strong, hard look at their policies if they are to meet the emissions reductions targets adopted in Paris in 2015.

Public support for large-scale energy transition is noticeable. A recent poll showed that a sizeable proportion of Australians believe that the government should focus on clean, renewable energy, even if it means that investment needs to be made to make the infrastructure more reliable.

We will have to wait and see how Australia truly stands on the subject of climate change and clean energy. The elections will reveal how serious the country is about electing a leader that will make tangible changes to improve our response to this climate emergency. Choose wisely, Australia.