BUSHFIRE SURVIVORS FOR CLIMATE ACTION (BSCA) will deliver a petition signed by more than 11,000 Australians to the office of the federal Minister for the Environment and Water, Hon Tanya Plibersek MP, at 10am on Wednesday July 31, calling on the government to ensure climate impacts will be assessed under the new environment laws.
Serena Joyner, CEO of Bushfire Survivors for Climate Action said: "As people on the frontlines of escalating climate impacts we're despairing at the slow progress on federal laws to protect the environment and Australian communities from the impacts of climate change. Limiting emissions this decade is critical to limiting climate change, and so any delay in creating a strong Nature Positive Law that adequately considers climate impacts is dangerous. And until that happens, we need to stop pouring fuel on the fire and pause approvals of new coal and gas projects."
The petition, launched in partnership with the Climate Council last year, also demands that until the inadequate 20-year-old environment law is reformed, the federal government hits pause on approvals of coal and gas projects.
Dr Jennifer Rayner, Head of Policy and Advocacy at the Climate Council, said: "The work to fix our national environment law seems to have stalled, but approval of new fossil fuel projects hasn't. We need urgent action now to put climate at the heart of this law so that it can protect nature and communities from escalating climate change.
"The Parliament is considering updates to our national environment law right now. This is the moment to make an essential change that can respond to the Australian community's clear call to protect nature from climate change."
BSCA has spoken out previously about the closed nature of the consultation on the development of the new laws, with access to drafts being restricted to around 30 organisations including minerals and resources councils and lacking any representation from communities on the frontline of climate change.
This petition has now received more than 11,000 signatures. The Environment Minister has been unable to meet with BSCA for delivery of the petition, so Ms Joyner and Bushfire Survivors for Climate Action members Angela Frimberger and Donna Andrews will deliver the results in person to Ms Plibersek's office on Wednesday morning.
"Even with the federal agency Environment Protection Australia (EPA) in place, the law that it enforces has major gaps and loopholes that leave the environment – and communities – severely vulnerable, especially on climate change," said Ms Joyner, "We're deeply concerned about more highly emitting projects being approved under the present weak law before the reforms are completed."
