[Greens-Media] MEDIA RELEASE - SENATOR CHRISTINE MILNE - What will it take, Prime Minister?

[Willis, Katrina (Sen C. Milne)]

MEDIA RELEASE

Tuesday, 5 September 2006

What will it take, Prime Minister?

The Australian Greens today challenged Prime Minister John Howard to
explain to the nation how much of the country has to be suffering more
extreme drought, crop failure and water shortages before he will act on
global warming.

Greens climate change spokesperson Senator Christine Milne said it was
difficult to understand the Prime Minister's studied ignorance and
scepticism in the face of the driest winter on record in some parts of
the country, the hottest and driest August in 106 years and a drought
that has gone on for a decade.

Senator Milne said in Canberra: "The head of the Bureau of Meteorology's
National Climate Centre, Dr Michael Coughlan, believes that climate
change is one of the main reasons for the long trend of dry weather,
saying of the persistent downward trend in rainfall and upward trend in
temperature that 'it's very hard to find some other reason other than
global warming for what is causing this'.

"The eminent scientist, winner of the Prime Minister's 2001
Environmentalist of the Year prize and member of the National Water
Commission, Prof Peter Cullen, has said that climate change is affecting
Australia, faster than he anticipated. 

"Across the country dam storage levels are low and the prospect of a
drier than usual spring plus warmer temperatures in many places will
increase evaporation as well as exacerbate the bushfire risk. This comes
on top of record high temperatures in 2005.

"Prime Minister Howard said last week: 'I accept the broad theory about
global warming. I am sceptical about a lot of the more gloomy
predictions'.

"He likes to talk about addressing security but when it comes to the
crunch, the Prime Minister fails the leadership test on climate
security.

"Prime Minister Howard needs to explain to Australians why he refuses to
take climate change seriously or to regard it as urgent.

"He cannot continue to place his hope in technologies that are dirty,
dangerous and too slow to substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Climate change is real and urgent, and action must be taken now to avoid
irreversible and catastrophic consequences."

Contact: Katrina Willis 03 6234 4566 or 0437 587 562

		 
Katrina Willis
Adviser
Senator Christine Milne
Phone 03 6234 4566
Fax 03 6234 2144
Mobile 0437 587 562
www.christinemilne.org.au