[Greens-Media] Milne congratulates business leaders for impeccable timing

[Hollo, Tim (Sen C. Milne)]

Milne congratulates business leaders for impeccable timing

Hobart, Thursday July 12, 2007  Australian Greens climate spokesperson,
Senator Christine Milne, today congratulated the National Business
Leaders' Forum on Sustainable Development for their timely action to
pull the climate change debate back to solutions and away from junk
science journalism.

Senator Milne said "The Business Leaders' Forum have shown impeccable
timing in launching their positive climate change framework today, the
day the ABC is set to broadcast The Great Global Warming Swindle,
undermining the junk science film's aim of dragging the climate debate
away from solutions and back to the long-solved question of the science.

"Timing is of the essence with climate change, and the business leaders
have demonstrated that they well understand that fact on many levels.

"The business leaders recognise that urgent, fast and strong action to
reduce emissions is vital in order to prevent runaway climate change
from being locked in, and is also the key to putting us on track for the
even deeper cuts that we must make in the longer term. As they have
said, a short term target focuses effort and galvanises the economy.

"The short term target the business leaders recommend falls not far
short of the Greens policy of 30% cuts on 1990 levels by 2020. We
believe that this is the minimum required by the science, and we are
heartened that the forum's Ian Dunlop acknowledged that their 20% target
is likely to be insufficient to prevent runaway climate change.

"The timing of the business leaders' announcement also shows that they
understand there is no time to waste on countering misinformation and
junk science. We should simply ignore it and re-focus on the solutions.

"Thanks to the last decade of delay, we only have a few years to act
before it is too late. We cannot afford to get sucked back in to the
science debate by those who think that they profit from doubt. Janet
Albrechtsen, Nick Minchin and others are deliberately attempting to cast
doubt on the science in order to slow down the action that they do not
want to see.

"Thanks to the efforts of the Business Leaders' Forum on Sustainable
Development, we can be hopeful that Swindle will not have succeeded in
its aim of derailing the debate on solutions. Instead, Australians
should hear their message that, once we get started, we'll be amazed
what we can achieve."

Contact Tim Hollo on 0437 587 562

Tim Hollo
Media and Communications Adviser
Senator Christine Milne
Phone: + 61 (0) 2 6277 3063
Mobile: + 61 (0) 437 587 562
Email: tim.hollo at aph.gov.au
Skype: timhollo
Website: www.christinemilne.org.au