[Greens-Media] Climate Change Strategy test of commitment

[Manderson, Roland]

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ACT GREENS MLA DEB FOSKEY MEDIA RELEASE
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25 July 07

Climate Change Strategy test of commitment

Deb Foskey, ACT Greens MLA, described the long waited release of ACT
Government Climate Change Strategy as a test of Government commitment.

"After such a long wait, and several iterations, I am expecting Friday's
Climate Change Strategy to contain strong emission targets and measures
and be a model for other state and territory governments. Nothing less
will make up for the long period following this Government's dumping of
our earlier Greenhouse Strategy" Dr Foskey said today.

"A successful Climate Change Strategy will need to take a whole of
government approach." 

"For instance, Planning must mandate energy efficiency standards for
residential and commercial buildings and design solar access into suburb
design so that every building can maximise solar energy; Transport must
increase and improve our public transport and encourage us out of our
cars; and charge fuel efficient cars lower registration. Environment
must ensure that we maintain our nature parks as biodiversity corridors
to enable the movement of plants and animals in response to climate
change."

 "We need to know that the Government has risk management plans for
climate change impacts, including ensuring that our water supply is
sustained and sustainable; and that our demand for water is
appropriate." 

"I expect that the Feed-in laws to encourage residents to sell solar
power to the grid being proposed by Labor Member Mr Gentleman will be a
key plank of the Strategy, bringing us in line with best practice in
Europe and some other states."

"As the motion I put to the Assembly earlier this year called for, the
Strategy must include: an inventory of current ACT greenhouse gas
emissions; timelines and targets for emissions reductions of 30% by 2020
and 80% by 2050 and mechanisms to strengthen these targets if events
require; a mandatory renewable energy target (MRET) of 25% by 2020; and
to establish the ACT as a Centre of Sustainability Industries and a
model in sustainable urban planning and management."

"The ACT Government agreed to much of my motion and it should not now
pussy-foot around these issues; California has an MRET of 33% by 2020,
and I think that ACT residents are at least as concerned as
Californians," said Dr Foskey.


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Roland Manderson   Media Advisor
ACT   Greens    MLA  Deb  Foskey  
Legislative Assembly for the ACT 
ph(02)62050551      m 0412241379
==== www.act.greens.org.au ===== 
  
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