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Legislative Council - Fifty-First Parliament, Second Session (51-2)
2008-06-18 Daily Xml
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INTERNATIONAL PANEL ON CLIMATE CHANGE

Adjourned debate on motion of Hon. M.C. Parnell:

1. That this council notes—

(a) the release this week of the final part of the Fourth Assessment Report of the International Panel on Climate Change; and

(b) that a 2° Celsius (median value) increase in global average surface temperatures above pre-industrial levels is accepted by the European Union as the limit beyond which there will be sufficient adverse impacts on the earth's biogeophysical systems, animals and plants to constitute 'dangerous' climate change;

2. And agrees that the imperative of constraining global temperature increase to no more than 2° above pre-industrial levels should underpin government policy responses to global warming.

which the Hon. S.M. Kanck has moved to amend after 1(a) by inserting:

'(b) The Interim Report by Professor Ross Garnaut released on 21 February 2008; and'

(Continued from 27 February 2008. Page 1872.)

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK (23:12): I apologise to the mover of the previous motion that, as a party, we were unprepared for this. However, I will not name anyone within our party who might have been responsible for making sure that we had a party position on this. Suffice to say that I understand that this motion is to expel the climate change sceptics, wherever they may be lurking within the parliament, and to advise that they do not exist in the Liberal Party, at least at a state level, and also to acknowledge that the IPCC is the pre-eminent body in terms of recognition of the valuable science with respect to climate change. Therefore, we support this motion.

The Hon. M. PARNELL (23:13): I thank honourable members who have spoken: the Hons Ian Hunter, Sandra Kanck and Michelle Lensink. It is a very straightforward motion, which has this council agreeing with the world scientists that our climate change policies should be underpinned by science and, in particular, should be underpinned by a commitment to try to limit the increase in global warming to no more than 2° above pre-industrial levels. I urge all members to support the motion.

I support the amendment that has been moved. It adds some information that was not available in November, when I first introduced this motion, and that is the Garnaut report, and I would urge all honourable members to support the amendment.

Amendment carried; motion as amended carried.

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