‘The Albanese Government cannot have it both ways’
Member for Mackellar, Dr Sophie Scamps has expressed her support for the motion that would see a ‘Climate Trigger’ inserted into The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (the EPBC Act), which is the Australian Government’s central piece of environmental legislation.
The proposed climate trigger, which was introduced by The Greens, would stop around 114 new coal and gas projects that are currently in the pipeline to be built.
“We need to ensure the impact from the emissions that these projects will create are assessed and that approvals under our national environmental law are not just a smokescreen that provide fossil fuel companies cover to continue profiteering while destroying Australia’s environment,” says Dr Scamps.
The proposal also would set a threshold that would require an environmental assessment of projects that emit between 25,000 and 100,000 tonnes of carbon in a year.
Dr Sophie Scamps MP said it is ‘hard to believe’ that new coal and gas projects are being assessed and approved without ‘any consideration given to the future impacts that emissions from these projects will have on our environment’.
“The Albanese Government cannot have it both ways. They cannot say the climate wars ‘are over’ and legislate our emissions reduction targets while also refusing to act on the root cause of climate change – fossil fuels,” says Dr Scamps.
“It is time our national environmental laws were strengthened. And the first step in doing so, is ensuring every major project is assessed for its future climate change impacts – our environment, our economic prosperity and our future depends on it.”