Pile of shit dumped at Federal Finance Minister’s office after failed COP26 summit
Extinction Rebellion Australia, 13 Nov 2021
Extinction Rebellion activists have dumped an enormous pile of shit outside the office of Federal Finance Minister Simon Birmingham in South Australia.
Extinction Rebellion’s message is simple: the COP26 climate summit was bullshit, and Australia’s contribution stank most of all. Not only did the Morrison Government take a weak, non-binding ‘plan’ with no new policies or mandates, it also refused to sign global pledges aimed at limiting methane emissions and phasing out fossil fuel production. Instead, the Government continued to spruik coal and gas, with the major carbon polluter Santos taking centre stage at Australia’s pavilion in Glasgow.
While dozens of countries signed up to ambitious climate action, the Government is considering more than 100 new coal and gas projects that could result in nearly 1.7 billion tonnes of greenhouse gases a year. This is a direct threat to the health and wellbeing of future generations, as well as Australia’s millions of animal species. Glasgow was a shitshow, but entirely in keeping with a government that cares more about protecting the interests of fossil fuel companies than it does about taking action to ensure a liveable climate for all of us.
Spokesperson Ben Brooker said:
"Australia has once again shown itself to be a climate pariah, this time with the whole world watching. The Government’s net-zero target is pure spin designed to shore up its re-election chances rather than meaningfully address the climate crisis. Its ‘plan’, which contains no changes to existing policies, isn’t worth the paper it’s written on.
"At COP, UN chief António Guterres warned that by failing to end our addiction to fossil fuels ‘we are digging our own graves’ through unsustainable global heating. He added that we had to stop ‘treating nature like a toilet’. By continuing to do so, while shamelessly flaunting its ties with climate criminals like Santos, Woodside, and Origin, the Government shows that it doesn’t take climate action seriously despite the vast majority of Australians wanting it to. We will continue to hold them to account until they end the bullshit and act as most Australians expect now."