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Legislative Council - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2016-10-19 Daily Xml
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Greenhouse Gas Emissions

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD (15:07): I will continue with the same line of questioning. I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Climate Change a question relating to South Australia's climate change strategy and greenhouse gas emissions.

Leave granted.

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD: In 2012-13, South Australia's net greenhouse gas emissions were 29.25 megatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, based on a 9.735 gigatonne global emission estimate for the same period. South Australia's carbon emissions represent approximately 0.3 per cent of global carbon emissions. According to the climate change strategy 2015-50, the government aims to reduce South Australia's greenhouse gas emissions by 56 per cent by 2030, with an aim to be carbon neutral by 2050.

Based on this policy, the government aims to reduce the state's greenhouse gases by 16.38 megatonnes, marginally reducing our contribution to global emissions by some 0.015 per cent by 2030. So, to be clear, that will reduce our contribution, that is, South Australia's contribution, to global carbon emissions by 0.015 per cent by 2030. My question to the minister is: what effect, if any, does the Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources anticipate a 0.015 per cent reduction in greenhouse global emissions will have on global temperatures?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Climate Change) (15:08): I thank the honourable member for his most important question. Here we have another climate change sceptic, a global warming denier, another one who comes in here and says, 'Let's not do anything. My goodness gracious, our emissions are so tiny compared with the rest of the world, can't we just slink away under the cover of what is happening elsewhere and get on emitting dirty emissions, because no-one's going to notice, it's so small.' That is how small the policy of Family First is: that we have no responsibility in this world, that we can get on and do whatever we like, whenever we like, and not have to worry about being a global citizen, not have to worry that our economy is inextricably linked in to the economies of the rest of the world.

How do you think our trading partners are going to deal with us, Hon. Mr Hood, in terms of being bad citizens in what the world is trying to do, which is to save the planet from dangerous global warming? Are we going to say, 'Look, goodness gracious, we don't have anywhere near the emissions problem that you do. Let us just get on with our coal-fired power stations. Ignore us and you go and solve the problems on your own and we don't want to be part of that game'? I have to say that is just despicable.

The PRESIDENT: I have one comment: the Hon. Mr Hood asked a question that he thought was important. I do not think it really deserved that tirade of abuse to both him and his party. Do you actually have an answer to his question? The Hon. Mr Hood.

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