Australia Must Accelerate Climate Action, Not Climate Annihilation
World leaders convene this week at the United Nations Climate Ambition Summit in recognition that the global community must accelerate efforts to prevent irreversible and catastrophic climate change.
The United Nations Secretary General, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), International Energy Agency (IEA), and scientists from all over the world have made it clear there is no room for new gas, coal and oil projects in the global carbon budget.
In this -- the 'decisive decade' for climate -- there are over 100 new coal and gas projects in development in Australia according to official data.
If all these projects proceed, research by the Australia Institute shows they would add a further 1.7 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent to the atmosphere every year -- roughly the equivalent emissions of the entire Russian Federation, the world's fourth-largest polluter.
Accelerating the pace and scale of climate action means an end to new fossil fuel approvals and subsidies.
As the world's third largest exporter of fossil fuels, Australia has a special responsibility to stop fueling the increase in global emissions caused by Australian fossil fuel production, both here and overseas.
Over 220 of the world's leading climate scientists and eminent experts have signed the Australia Institute's open letter.
Add your name >