Speak Out

Speak Out is your space to have your voice heard. Write a letter to the editor, or the Minister responsible for an area. Click here for listings of Talkback Radio Stations in your area.

Demand science-based targets from your Government

in

With the Rudd Government's failure of an emissions trading scheme returning to the Senate on Tuesday, we Greens have been working hard to convince them to green it up.

To be environmentally and economically credible, the scheme needs ambitious emissions reduction targets and the array of design flaws that pay polluters to keep polluting and lock in failure need to be fixed.

Unfortunately, Minister Wong has told Bob Brown and Christine Milne that she would only discuss the Greens' proposed amendments if they first signed up to her woefully inadequate 5-25% targets. Obviously Minister Wong's demand that the Greens abandon both the science and any hope of a meaningful global agreement is unacceptable, and Bob and Christine have written to her urging her to reconsider.

Please tell Penny Wong that you want her to talk to the Greens and open her mind to meaningful, science-based emissions targets.

Remember, the letter will be more powerful if you write it yoursefl, but we have given you some pointers with the text below.

Support the Greens' campaign for effective climate change action

in

Australia needs real domestic action on climate change. Unfortunately, the Rudd government’s Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme is deeply flawed.

The Government has announced that it will delay the scheme by one year and deliver another $2.2 billion in compensation to Australia’s biggest polluters—in addition to $7.4 billion the polluters are already getting.

The Greens are prepared to support a minimum unconditional 25% target – the bare minimum required by science and the global community – to end 12 years of climate inaction. And Treasury modelling shows it is affordable; by 2020 Australia’s GDP will be roughly three times the size it is today whether we have a ‘worse than useless’ 5% target or the minimum effective 25% target.

Now the Prime Minister faces a climate test. Will Kevin Rudd brown-down the CPRS by negotiating with the Coalition, or will he green up the CPRS by negotiating with the Greens?

You can support the Greens by showing the Prime Minister that Australians support an emissions trading scheme that protects the environment, not polluters.

Have your say on emissions trading

in

Submissions have now closed for the Senate Inquiry into Emissions Trading. Thank you for your submissions - these have been sent to the committee members to help in their inquiry.

The best the Government itself can say about its so-called 'Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme' is that it is better than nothing. The Greens disagree - we think it's worse than useless.

The Government's plan, as it stands, would actively prevent the change we desperately need, undermining existing policies to move Australia to renewable energy, energy efficiency and clean transport, and locking out the option of achieving deep cuts in greenhouse emissions. Read more info here.

Write to Penny Wong about Emissions Trading

in

Make sure the Australian Government acts properly to combat dangerous climate change!

Climate change is without doubt among the most important issues Australia's Parliament has ever dealt with, and must be acted upon properly.

Write to your Government, and make your voice heard! Tell them you don't want to see our climate future gambled away for political purposes.

Write to the Government about Climate Change targets

in

Don't let your Government put up the white flag on Climate Change! 

Instead of a 5 to 15% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, Australia must start work building a zero emissions economy, with reductions of at least 40% below 1990 levels by 2020 on the way there. The best economies this century will be those based on environmental excellence.

The recognised minimum of 25% reduction by 2020 in greenhouse gas emissions has become, instead, a maximum for Rudd who is not disputing press speculation that he will set Australia's target as low as a 5-15% reduction.

Write to your Government, and make your voice heard! Tell them you don't want to see ineffective targets that will mean Australia puts up the white flag on Climate Change.

Write to the Editor about Climate Change targets

in

Don't let your Government put up the white flag on Climate Change! 

Instead of a 5 to 15% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, Australia must start work building a zero emissions economy, with reductions of at least 40% below 1990 levels by 2020 on the way there. The best economies this century will be those based on environmental excellence.

The recognised minimum of 25% reduction by 2020 in greenhouse gas emissions has become, instead, a maximum for Rudd who is not disputing press speculation that he will set Australia's target as low as a 5-15% reduction.

Write to the Editor of your newspaper, and make your voice heard! Tell them you don't want to see ineffective targets that will mean Australia puts up the white flag on Climate Change.