Climate movement's messages to Labor Conference
Extinction Rebellion Australia, 17 Aug 2023
'It is too late for emissions reductions alone to save us' –The XR Vic Climate Update Report for Labor Conference delegates. 'Time’s up! It’s time to protect country and our climate!' – Move Beyond Coal Rally at the conference venue
The Labor Party Conference in Meanjin/Brisbane was an opportunity the climate movement weren't about to miss. XR Brisbane rebels were on major roads leading to the conference venue with banners for days before, making sure that the public were aware of the urgent climate message that Labor has so far failed to understand.
On the first day Move Beyond Coal and others from across the climate movement held a rally outside the conference venue. The rally demanded that Labor:
Rule out new coal and gas projects and end fossil fuel subsidies
Deliver a historic investment in renewable energy and climate solutions
Urgently fix our Cultural Heritage and Environmental Protection laws - including amending the water trigger
Move Beyond Coal Rally at the Labor Party Conference
XR Vic rebels distributed a printed Climate Update Report to conference delegates, with summary points and links to current research. The news isn't good.
The devastating conclusion of the late, esteemed climate scientist Will Steffen's ‘Hothouse Earth' paper is that "even if the Paris Accord target of a 1.5°C to 2.0°C rise in temperature is met, we cannot exclude the risk that a cascade of feedbacks could push the Earth System irreversibly onto a 'Hothouse Earth' pathway."
Five five major tipping points may already have been passed
On our present trajectory, we risk heading into the collapse of our globalised civilisation and a precipitous drop in human population - put simply, Hell on Earth. We are heading towards a level of food and water shortages, conflict and forced displacement never before seen in human history.
IT IS TOO LATE FOR EMISSIONS REDUCTIONS ALONE TO SAVE US
Large-scale greenhouse gas drawdown and temporary cooling measures are also absolutely essential–and soon. Sir David King, former adviser to the UK government and founder of the Centre for Climate Repair, says we must urgently pursue ‘3Rs’:
- reduce emissions
- redraw (drawdown) the excess greenhouse gases already in the atmosphere till pre-industrial concentrations are reached
- repair the damage we have done
An alarming mountain of research on tipping points has been presented in the last year and a half and this is now pointing to the need for studies to identify safe interventions that protect and repair vital systems.
The Climate Update Report that XR Vic provided to the Labor conference delegates made the case for urgent research to identify those safe interventions as well as immediate action to reduce emissions and remove carbon by drawdown. The report came with a valuable link to resources and links to research articles.
It's now up to climate activists to make sure that politicians listen to the messages from the climate movement instead of fossil fuell lobbyists and those who deny the extent of the crisis facing the world.