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Climate Change and Clean Energy
The Greens have recognised that climate change is serious and urgent for more than a decade, but governments and industry are yet to take real action. If global warming of 2°C above pre-industrial levels occurs the impacts will be too severe and the risks of runaway climate change too great. Urgent action to stop the growth in greenhouse gas emissions must start now.
The Greens recognise that energy efficiency and renewable energy options present huge opportunities to create new jobs and export dollars in clean technologies.
The Greens will:
- Base all climate policy on constraining global warming to less than 2°C
- Introduce binding, science-based targets to reduce emissions by 30% below 1990 levels by 2020 and 80% by 2050
- Put a price on carbon
- Introduce energy efficiency targets and standards for appliances, buildings and infrastructure
- Significantly increase renewable energy production by boosting the current 2% target to 15% of our electricity by 2012 and 25% by 2020
- Provide a long-term price guarantee for renewably produced electricity
- Redirect massive subsidies for fossil fuels to renewable energy and energy efficiency
- Plan to help coal communities move to sustainable industries as coal use and exports are phased out.
- End logging of our old growth and high conservation value forest carbon stores
- Ratify the Kyoto Protocol, and lead the negotiation of a strong, legally binding second phase.
Nuclear is No Solution
The Greens are the only parliamentary party opposed to all aspects of the nuclear industry.
Nuclear power is directly linked to the proliferation of nuclear weapons. Future generations must not be burdened with its toxic waste for which there is no safe disposal.
When renewable energy and energy efficiency can reduce emissions faster and cheaper, nuclear power is just a dangerous distraction.
The Greens will end the mining and export of uranium and oppose the establishment of nuclear power plants, nuclear fuel processing, enrichment facilities and radioactive waste dumps.
