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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2013-07-25 Daily Xml
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CLIMATE CHANGE AND RENEWABLE ENERGY

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (14:52): My question is to the Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation. Will the minister inform the house about the recent launch of the Climate Change Commission's report, entitled The Critical Decade 2013?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation) (14:52): I thank the honourable member for his most important question and his ongoing interest in the matter of climate change. Last month, I had the pleasure of opening a climate change conference organised by the Committee for Economic Development Australia, where the much respected professor Tim Flannery launched the latest Climate Commission's science report, entitled The Critical Decade. It was pleasing to see so many members of the South Australian science community, industry and government in attendance to hear about the latest science from the Climate Commission.

For the benefit of the chamber today, the Climate Commission was established to provide all Australians with an independent and reliable source of information about the science of climate change, the international action being taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the economics of carbon. Last month, the commission released the latest round of science under the guidance of Climate Commissioner, Professor Tim Flannery, and his colleagues Professor Will Steffen and Professor Lesley Hughes, who both authored the report.

Two years ago, in its report, 'The critical decade: climate science, risks and responses', the Climate Commission stated that this decade, 2011-2020, is the decade to decisively begin the journey to decarbonise our economy and thereby reduce the risks posed by climate change. Two years on, one-quarter of the way through the critical decade, this latest report begins by describing the basics of climate change science, how our climate works, and how human activities are affecting climate. It then goes on to examine observations in the changing climate and what is expected of the future and, most importantly, what these changes in the climate mean for people and natural ecosystems.

Some of the key findings from that report are that our understanding of the climate system has continued to strengthen—one would hope that would be the case. We are already seeing the social, economic and environmental consequences of a change in climate, many of which scientists warned the community about in the not too distant past. The change in climate poses substantial risks for health, property, infrastructure and natural ecosystems, and one-quarter of the way into the critical decade it is clear that some progress is being made globally to reduce emissions.

However, far more will need to be done to stabilise the climate and most of the available fossil fuels cannot be burnt if we are to stabilise the climate this century. It should be obvious to all that climate change is one of the biggest challenges that this state, the nation and, indeed, the whole world face but I am pleased to advise that, here in South Australia, under this Labor government, we have taken this challenge seriously indeed.

For this stance, we are beginning to be recognised as leaders in this area. Last year the South Australian government launched Prospering in a Changing Climate: A Climate Change Adaptation Framework for South Australia which I touched on, I think, yesterday. This framework will assist our state in managing the inevitable impacts from climate change.

The key components of the framework are regional planning for climate impacts and opportunities, coordination of state government processes with a focus on working more closely with regions, establishing a statewide research agenda and effectively engaging with the community by empowering regional leaders to communicate climate issues.

This framework includes significant involvement from a broad range of local government, natural resource management groups, regional development committees and key industry bodies. Just last month, this framework was awarded the Adaptation Champions award at the National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility's national conference in Sydney. This was a great recognition of what we are doing in this state.

Also in Sydney on that night, Mr Brian Foster, a farmer from Eyre Peninsula who has firsthand experience in rural and regional adaptation to climate change, was awarded a National Champions award for this work as an advocate. This is great recognition for—as he would describe himself, I suppose—an everyday South Australian, but he has become a leader in pressing government to act on the threat posed by climate change.

Mr Foster is of course a member of the Premier's Climate Change Council, but he has been lobbying government and raising the issue in his local community for many years, I am told. Mr Foster has also been on hand to the scientific community providing firsthand evidence of the impacts of climate change on his land and on his farm. Again, his award was a another great recognition for South Australia.

To protect our economy into the future will require preparedness for an ongoing adaptation to the impacts of climate change. However, there are some out there who, for unknown reasons, really, portray this necessity as merely an impost or a cost on business. This is unfortunate for many reasons, but the most important is the fact that implementing measures to combat climate change and provide for sustainable secure energy futures will bring about new economic benefits and new employment opportunities.

Just this month, the United Nations launched updated international figures on the renewable energy industry. These figures show that the year 2012 was the second-highest year for renewable energy investments worldwide, and these investments have totalled $1.3 trillion across the globe since 2006.

The fact of the matter is that renewable energy sources have rapidly become a vital part of the global energy mix and, here in South Australia, Clean Energy Council figures show that we have attracted a total of $3 billion in capital investment in wind farm projects. This has translated to 842 direct jobs, I am advised, with another 1,700 or so indirect jobs. We have another $5 billion worth of wind farm developments on the horizon. These are estimated at creating another 1,850 jobs in South Australia.

The commonwealth recently reported that South Australia's net greenhouse gas emissions were 30.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2010-11—9 per cent lower than the 1990s baseline, as I reminded the chamber yesterday. Over this same period, South Australia's gross state product rose 65 per cent, again proving that economic growth and productivity can still occur with a significant investment in renewable energy.

The benefits from these investments are clear: jobs and a sustainable future, not the burden and the cost or unnecessary green tape that climate change deniers bandy about from time to time. Whilst some people—and some of them are here and some of them are in Canberra—

The Hon. G.E. Gago interjecting:

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: Well, I didn't want to say that—some of them do and some of them don't—run scare campaigns, they denigrate the valuable work that scientists perform and even sometimes call for moratoriums on wind farms. This government is committed to a clean and sustainable future, one that is ready to meet the challenges of climate change and one that can provide high-tech jobs into the future.

The PRESIDENT: Supplementary, the Hon. Mr Parnell.

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