[Greens-Media] MEDIA RELEASE - SENATOR CHRISTINE MILNE - Climate tipping point may be just 10 years away - Still a sceptic PM?

[Willis, Katrina (Sen C. Milne)]

MEDIA RELEASE

Wednesday, 6 September 2006

Climate tipping point may be just 10 years away - Still a sceptic PM?

Today's news that the world could reach a climate 'tipping point' in
just 10 years, after which global warming advances rapidly and
irreversibly, should jolt the federal government into action, Australian
Greens climate change spokesperson Senator Christine Milne said.

"How can Prime Minister John Howard stick to his ridiculous proposition
that he is 'sceptical about a lot of the more gloomy predictions' in the
face of this latest evidence of the rapid rate of human-induced climate
change?" Senator Milne said in Canberra.

A member of the British Antarctic Survey, Dr Eric Wolff, told a science
conference in England overnight that data from a deep ice core sample
taken from Antarctica revealed that carbon dioxide emissions rose by 30
parts per million in the past 17 years, whereas in the past it had taken
1000 years for such an increase to occur.

Dr Wolff is reported to have told the conference that based on the new
evidence the world could expect to reach the climate 'tipping point', at
which global warming accelerates exponentially, in 10 years' time.

Senator Milne said this new evidence came on top of reports that
Brisbane was likely to move to stage four water restrictions next month
and faced the prospect of becoming the first Australian capital city to
move to stage five if last year's dry summer is repeated.

In South Australia, the state government is assembling a drought crisis
team after the state recorded below average rainfall in August and in
some centres the lowest rainfalls on record.

"The Howard government has wasted a decade by failing to prepare
Australia for the impacts of climate change, preferring instead to prop
up dirty energy sources," Senator Milne said.

"The time for procrastination is over. Prime Minister, when will you
act?" 

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