Archive for November 26, 2013
Australia’s international reputation on climate action is rapidly deteriorating, as not only has it been dubbed a “willful” wrecking ball at the UNFCCC COP19 negotiations, but new reports show that it has both slid to the bottom of international rankings of carbon emission reduction efforts, and become the number one emitter per capita among developed nations. The Global Carbon Project shows that Australia is failing to reduce carbon emissions at a rate comparable to the US or the European Union, and that its emissions remain consistent with the levels seen over the past decade. Despite the increasingly woeful performance, Australia has joined Canada todeny developing nations further climate funding.
- After bringing a “hard-line ideological agenda” and wrecking ball tactics to COP19, Australia is now being seen as an “anti-climate” nation, actively working against a constructive outcome at the UNFCCC negotiations. Despite being a rich, affluent nation, it is ignoring the fact its historic emissions give it an obligation and commitment to provide funding for developing countries for climate mitigation and adaptation.
- Australia is now the number one emitter per capita among developed nations, and his has slid to the bottom of global rankings for climate action. This, combined with its irresponsible language and backward steps at the COP19 negotiations, have earned it a record four Fossil of the Day awards. Australia is the 16th largest emitter of CO2 in the world, ranking 10th, higher than any other major western nation, in terms of per capita emissions, and it is ranked 57 out of 61 for efforts to slow global warming. A drop of six places.
- Despite the damage to its international reputation, tens of thousands of Australians rallying for increased climate action, and warnings that annual losses to extreme weather have almost quadrupled in recent decades, the Coalition government is instead choosing to be “in the coal business”. However, the coal industry is in decline, and by supporting its expansion in the face of growing global action on climate change, the Coalition is risking stranding both coal assets and the country diplomatically.
Former diplomat Bruce Haigh spent years in some of the world’s hotspots where he saw and did somtimes extraordinary things. In South Africa he befriended the legendary dissident Steve Biko. In Afghanistan he took pictures of Russian military installations. In Pakistan he flirted with Benazir Bhutto, or perhaps it was Benazir flirting with him…He is a regular contributor to the Canberra Times, Crikey and other Oz media…
…here is an excerpt of Bruce Haigh’s recent piece in the Canberra Times, (15/11/13):
“…State imposed secrecy, with respect to managing minorities, dissidents or groups judged to be antithetical to the interests of the ruling elite, leads to oppression through lack of accountability. Morrison does not want to be accountable for deaths in detention or drowning at sea. Lack of transparency is a threat to human rights and democracy, but Morrison is no democrat; he is the Reischsfuhrer of asylum seekers. He decides who goes where, and when. He sends back to Sri Lanka, Tamils who are given no opportunity to express their claims for asylum in Australia and who are detained on return by the Rajapaksa regime, many to be tortured and some held indefinitely.
Sending back people without a hearing, who on the face of it, may have a legitimate refugee claim, is illegal under Australian and international law. Morrison plans to send minority oppressed Hazaras back to Afghanistan. That would also be illegal…”
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