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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2022-05-31 Daily Xml
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Motions

Climate Change

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Attorney-General, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector) (15:32): I move:

That this council—

1. Notes the most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report confirms that greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, and current plans to address climate change are not ambitious enough to limit warming to 1.5º Celsius above pre-industrial levels—a threshold scientists believe is necessary to avoid more catastrophic impacts;

2. Notes that around the world, climate change impacts are already causing loss of life and destroying vital ecosystems;

3. Declares that we are facing a climate emergency; and

4. Commits to restoring a safe climate by transforming the economy to zero net emissions.

I put on the record today the Malinauskas Labor government's strong support for recognising that in this state, throughout the country, and indeed across the planet, we are undeniably facing a climate emergency. For decades we have known that climate change is real and that it has the potential to have catastrophic effects on our planet. It is, undoubtedly, human activity that is causing this devastation to our planet. So it goes without saying that we must act urgently to halt climate change and undo the damage already done.

By declaring a climate emergency in this manner we are not just recognising the global climate emergency but we are also reconfirming our commitment to take real and tangible action to tackle climate change. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change was formed in 1988, a year that saw, amongst other things, fires in the Amazon rainforest that shocked the world. More than 30 years later, natural disasters, including floods and bushfires, continue to worsen in severity and increasing regularity, devastating our continent and the world. We really should have been awake to how our climate was changing many years earlier.

The Climate Council's most recent report has identified that climate change is creating an insurability crisis in Australia. By 2030, according to the report, one in 25 properties across Australia will become uninsurable. The effects of inaction on climate will also be felt concerningly close to home with the report ranking the federal electorate of Hindmarsh, in Adelaide's western suburbs, as the 10th most at-risk electorate in the nation where, according to the report's findings, one in seven properties is set to become uninsurable this decade due to risks of flooding.

Unfortunately, the bleak forecast on our global futures does not stop there. The most recent IPCC report indicates that Australasia will continue to experience more hot days, fewer cold days, the retreat of snow and glaciers, rising sea levels and greater ocean acidification. In Australia these significant changes to our climate will see an increase in heat-related deaths amongst people and wildlife, the loss of natural and human systems in low-lying coastal areas through sea rise, the loss of coral reefs, kelp forests and associated ecosystems due to ocean warming, a decline in agricultural production, and increased stress in rural communities due to hotter and drier conditions.

These challenges alone ought to be and are enough to demand a response from our elected representatives, but the threat to our communities demands that we act now. The Malinauskas government, of which I am proud to be a part, is committed to taking real action on climate change and has made it a priority by putting the climate change portfolio within the responsibilities of the Deputy Premier.

South Australia already has a strong reputation for leading the nation and the world when it comes to renewable energy. For 16 years, under a South Australian Labor government, our state led Australia in renewable energy generation, moved away from reliance on fossil fuels and built the world's first big battery. To build on this legacy, the new Malinauskas Labor government will build a hydrogen power station, an electrolyser, a storage facility and will create new jobs in the industry in South Australia.

The Hydrogen Jobs Plan will harness South Australian renewable energy to supply cleaner and cheaper power to South Australians. We will also scrap the former Liberal government's electric vehicle tax to help encourage more South Australians to buy an electric car. We will do this by repealing legislation to ensure that it does not come into effect while keeping current incentive programs in place.

There is no time to waste: real action must be taken now. Under current global emission reduction policies, projected global warming will leave many of our regions' human and natural systems at very high risk and beyond a state of repair. That is why the state government will also update the Climate Change and Greenhouse Emissions Reduction Act to reflect short-term targets, while also considering carbon budgets and government adaptation plans as part of the update.

We see our climate crisis as an opportunity for jobs in this state, with our abundance of wind, solar and other renewable resources. We know that Australia can and should be a world leader in the low-carbon economy. We have the natural resources and the people to be a renewable energy superpower. We, along with many others on the Labor side in this chamber, have been listening to these calls from the community and the experts and so we continue to listen to the scientists who have been aware of these issues for so long but have sadly been ignored.

I acknowledge that during the last parliament this council supported a motion from the Hon. Mark Parnell, declaring that we are facing a climate emergency. I also note that the then Liberal government opposed that critical declaration, but we hope that it will see multipartisan support this time. I am glad that in the last parliament this council saw fit to support the motion, and I hope today this council supports the motion that we have before us. It is far too late not to do something. I commend the motion to the council.

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI (Leader of the Opposition) (15:39): I rise to indicate that I am the lead speaker on this motion for the opposition and in doing so I give notice to the council that I am moving to amend the motion by:

Adding in the words 'including biodiversity decline' after the words 'catastrophic impacts' and then deleting all the words after 'climate emergency' and inserting the words:

4. Declares that a pathway to curbing these impacts will require swift action;

5. Notes that addressing the changing climate presents significant economic, employment, innovation and technological opportunities for South Australia, and that these opportunities should be actively pursued and supported; and

6. Commits to action to help restore a safe climate by:

(a) transforming the South Australian economy to zero net emissions by 2050 and to 50 per cent by 2030; and

(b) quarantining the Department for Environment and Water from budget cuts.

The new motion should now read:

That this council—

1. Notes the most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report confirms that greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, and current plans to address climate change are not ambitious enough to limit warming to 1.5° Celsius above pre-industrial levels, a threshold scientists believe is necessary to avoid more catastrophic impacts, including biodiversity decline;

2. Notes that around the world, climate change impacts are already causing loss of life and destroying vital ecosystems;

3. Declares that we are facing a climate emergency;

4. Declares that a pathway to curbing these impacts will require swift action;

5. Notes that addressing the changing climate presents significant economic, employment, innovation and technological opportunities for South Australia, and that these opportunities should be actively pursued and supported; and

6. Commits to action to help restore a safe climate by:

(a) transforming the South Australian economy to zero net emissions by 2050 and to 50 per cent by 2030; and

(b) quarantining the Department for Environment and Water from budget cuts.

A changing climate can have significant impacts on South Australia. For example, our state is highly reliant on the River Murray, where I live, for a large proportion of its drinking water supply and agricultural production. Because of this, impacts from a changing climate on water inflows therefore could have significant economic and social impacts to our cities, towns and our regions.

A changing climate can also impact our ecosystems and the biodiversity within them. This is a widely accepted and held view of many South Australians. There is also a held view that we can do more, swiftly, to address climate change, but there is also a widely accepted and held view amongst South Australians and the wider business community that addressing climate change should be based on real action and not simply be hollow virtual signalling.

There is also a view that we should pursue climate change related opportunities, including significant economic and innovation opportunities facing this state. We should also include adaptation strategies, but noting that some climate impacts will be unavoidable. On this basis, the motion is not supported in its current form and instead we move to make amendments to reflect these more contemporary views.

The amendment I am seeking to make to No. 1 is about biodiversity decline. Biodiversity decline is a serious climate change issue which is often ignored. There are significant implications to South Australia and the nation from species decline and it should be noted in the motion. There are essentially no proposed changes to Nos 2 and 3, except to remove the word 'and' from No. 3.

We are seeking for there to be an additional two provisions in the motion and in doing so we are acknowledging that addressing climate change is well beyond esoteric slogans and alarmism. Addressing climate change takes government leadership, with a capacity to deliver real action through an intentional focus on tangible outcomes and a commitment to engaging with the community, businesses and the market.

For example, the previous Liberal government put in place a clear action-based pathway for responding to climate change. In December 2019, it released its Directions for a Climate Smart South Australia with a goal of net zero emissions by 2050. In the opening of the 2020 parliament, it then set an interim goal to reduce emissions by at least 50 per cent by 2030. In December 2020, it released the most powerful vision for climate action by any South Australian government in history, developed with input and advice from renowned climate change expert, Professor Ross Garnaut.

The Climate Change Action Plan 2021-2025 includes 68 actions across seven focus areas and shows that South Australia's action-based response to climate change could achieve a level of renewable energy that is more than five times the current local grid demand by 2050. In the absence of real action, the proposed motion could simply be seen as virtue signalling. It must also be recognised that climate change presents not only threats but significant opportunities for South Australia. Our climate action plan and Professor Ross Garnaut have shown us this.

Climate change is no longer simply an environmental issue. This was the case for decades, with climate change roots focused on the impacts that human-induced accelerated climate change could have on the natural environment. However, in recent years, climate change has moved to also become a core economic and social issue, with the business community taking a key role in formulating climate change solutions.

This has resulted in significant economic-related opportunities for South Australia. The presence of these opportunities must be acknowledged and encouragement given to further pursue them. In this respect, the proposed motion falls short. The revised motion takes into account the significant economic, employment, innovation and technological opportunities before our state from addressing climate change.

Finally, the original motion commits the house to restoring a safe climate. This statement fails to recognise that some climate impacts may be inevitably permanent. It also overreaches the ability of this and any future South Australian state government to correct negative climate impacts that may arise from other jurisdictions' actions across the globe. At best, we can (and it is proposed we should) commit to help restore a safe climate. The revised motion reflects this.

The original motion committed the house to transforming the economy to net zero emissions. It is assumed that 'the economy' refers to the South Australian economy rather than the broader Australian economy, which this house has very little influence on. The revised motion reflects this. The original motion did not include a time frame for achieving zero net emissions. In theme with taking action-based responses to climate change, the well-publicised targets of the previous Liberal government have been inserted into the revised motion.

Finally, but most importantly, the Department for Environment and Water plays a significant role in the state's response to climate change. It would be perverse in the face of an emergency to allow this agency to be the subject of Labor's Public Service budget cuts—now or into the future of this current parliament. Therefore, the revised motion simply corrects this perversity by quarantining DEW from budget cuts. With these words, I move my amendment.

The Hon. R.A. SIMMS (15:47): I rise to speak in support of this motion to declare a climate emergency. I will speak to the merits of the motion, but first I want to address the amendment from the Leader of the Opposition and indicate that the Greens will not be supporting that amendment.

Rather than what the honourable member contends, that amendment would actually rob this motion of its veracity by inserting a clause that says that we will transition to net zero emissions by 2050. It would lock this council into supporting the inadequate policy position of the failed Morrison government. Might I say that the people of Australia have made their views on that known quite recently, just a few weeks ago, where we saw the Teal Independent revolution sweeping our nation and where we saw record support for the Greens in traditional Liberal held areas.

A big factor there was the failure of the Liberal Party, under the leadership of failed Prime Minister Scott Morrison, to deal with climate change seriously, to address the challenge head on. Quite frankly, Australians do not want politicians talking about what is going to happen over in the never-never in 2050. I might as well say I am going to cut out carbs, I am going to cut out sugar and I am going to cut out booze, so that I can do it by 2050 and look like Premier Peter Malinauskas. Anyone can make those pledges—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. R.A. SIMMS: —by 2050. We need to actually take action now. The Liberal Party has really missed the mark with this amendment, so we will not be supporting it.

To speak to the motion that has been put forward by the government, which we welcome, this is really about South Australia joining other jurisdictions around the world in recognising the seriousness of climate change and resolving on the need to act. In South Australia we have seen the effects of the climate crisis firsthand. We have seen drought, we have seen fire, and this is only just the beginning. Everybody will be affected by climate change.

We talk a lot in this place about the great disruption that has come from COVID-19, but really COVID-19 will be the curtain-raiser for the climate crisis in terms of the disruption and what that means for every element of our society unless we take action. The IPCC report tells us that we are not doing enough to curb climate change emissions this decade. The 2022 IPCC report warns that cascading, compounding and aggregate impacts are projected to grow due to concurrent increases in heatwaves, droughts, fires, storms, floods and rising sea levels.

Major impacts across multiple sectors could disrupt supply chains to industries and communities and constrain the delivery of health, energy and water. The impacts will not just be environmental but socio-economic as well. The cost of inaction outweighs the cost of action and now is the time for us to do something decisive. If we continue without substantial and effective action, we will see more health impacts from air pollution, we will see climate refugees who have lost their homes due to fire or flood, and we will see less rainfall for our primary producers.

These past decades of inaction and incrementalism have taken us past one degree of global warming and are driving us towards a world that is potentially even three or four degrees hotter. The last time there was this much carbon dioxide in the air was at least 2.6 million years ago, before humans existed. Back then, temperatures were more than three degrees warmer. Many, if not all, of the emergencies will already create casualties and damage before they are met with a response, and this is particularly the case when a response is unreasonably late. We risk finding ourselves in that situation if we do not act now.

I know that many people feel held back at the moment by despair and panic, but this is not the time for panic; this is the time to keep our heads, to show our strength and to fight to protect all that we can, not to hesitate, not to give up and not to despair. This is the time for us to roll up our sleeves. We need to plan and we need to speed up our actions and ensure that we reach zero net emissions as soon as we can. The Greens are campaigning for that to happen in 2035, not in 2050, not over in the never-never. All political parties in this place need to work together to make that happen.

In my time as a councillor at the City of Adelaide, I successfully moved a motion to declare a climate emergency back in 2019, and currently 16 of South Australia's local government jurisdictions have declared climate emergencies. In that same year, my predecessor, the Hon. Mark Parnell, moved a similar motion to declare a climate emergency in this place. While it was passed, it was stalled in the House of Assembly. The Greens want to recognise the work of Mark Parnell in bringing the climate emergency declaration to this place in 2019 and his efforts to try to make the South Australian parliament the first jurisdiction in the country to declare a climate emergency.

In that same year, we were pipped at the post by the ACT. They became the first territory to do the same and they successfully passed a declaration through both houses. Again, that was moved by one of my Green colleagues, Minister Shane Rattenbury. I also note that Greens leader at a federal level, Adam Bandt, has previously moved a Climate Emergency Declaration Bill in the federal parliament, which was rejected by the Morrison government. This, of course, was the Prime Minister that famously brought in a piece of coal, such was his indifference towards the climate crisis.

It has been baffling in the past to hear people such as the now Leader of the Opposition, David Speirs, dismiss the declaration of a climate emergency as being purely symbolic, as if symbols are not important. If we refuse to acknowledge that we are in the middle of an emergency, we will never act with the urgency that we know is required so that we can deal with this existential threat.

Globally, climate emergency declarations have been made in 2,094 jurisdictions and local governments covering one billion citizens. While the Greens recognised that a motion on its own is not going to solve the climate crisis, this parliament as an institution recognising the seriousness and scale of the problem is a big and meaningful step towards real action. I do want to acknowledge the leadership of Deputy Premier and environment minister the Hon. Susan Close in this regard. We really welcome the House of Assembly bringing this forward.

This is not the end of the matter. This is the beginning of a much deeper conversation around how we respond to the climate crisis in our state. We in the Greens have been arguing for a long time around the need for a Green New Deal that ensures we address climate, along with growing inequality. We need to invest in green jobs, we need to build and retrofit sustainable homes, we need free and frequent publicly owned public transport, we need an emissions target of at least 75 per cent by 2030 and we need to reach net zero by 2035. The year 2050 is just far too late. Now is the time for action. With that, I commend the motion.

The Hon. C. BONAROS (15:56): On behalf of SA-Best I rise to speak in support of the Attorney-General's motion declaring a climate emergency and seeking a commitment to the restoration of a safe climate by transforming the economy to net zero emissions.

The climate emergency is also a health emergency, something that does not always immediately spring to mind when talking about climate change. It affects the social and environmental determinants of health: clean air, safe drinking water, sufficient food and shelter. It is the single biggest threat to humanity.

The 2018-19 Australian summer was the hottest on record. Our surface temperature has increased by almost a degree since 1910. The direct impacts of climate change are becoming increasingly evident. Extreme weather events like bushfires, heatwaves, extreme rainfall events, storms and floods are causing physical trauma, death and destruction. Then there are the indirect impacts on health: air and water pollution, rising sea levels, accessibility to food and shelter, leading to heart and lung diseases, under-nutrition and mental illnesses.

In Australia the death toll from heatwaves has exceeded that of any other environmental disaster. They have been dubbed the silent killers, especially where a person has underlying health issues, and deaths are not always identified as health related. We know, too, bushfires are being exacerbated by heatwaves, changing weather patterns and droughts, and the health impacts of such bushfires are severe and long lasting.

In addition to the direct impacts, like burns, heat stress, injury and death, there are also serious indirect impacts, including significant short and long-term mental health impacts, societal disruption and loss of basic services, such as GP care, housing and basic provisions. Bushfires can affect water quality, especially when followed by heavy rainfall, which I am told mobilises ash and other soluble nutrients from the burnt and devegetated ground into water catchments and drinking water reservoirs.

The stress of bushfire affects people psychologically, socially and economically. In addition to the threat to human life, we know that properties are lost, animals and pets are lost, livestock is killed and livelihoods are threatened. These compounding impacts contribute to mental health disorders. Bushfire smoke does not just contribute to climate change, it contributes to lung conditions, such as asthma, and diseases of the heart and brain, amongst others. The health effects are endless.

In 2019, 25,000 people were displaced by weather-related disasters in Australia, primarily bushfires. In early 2020, bushfires triggered 47,000 displacements, counting an upward trajectory since 2008. Warmer temperatures and heavier rainfalls are causing mosquito-borne infectious diseases to thrive.

Biodiversity is declining at unprecedented levels, unbalancing health ecosystems. Marine biodiversity and ecosystems are bearing the brunt of ocean warming and acidification, which in turn impacts our health. Although Australia currently has enough food supply and produces far in excess of what it consumes, it is also considered one of the most vulnerable agriculture sectors globally because of climate change. I, for one, find that a terrifying thought.

The United Nations predicts that world population will exceed 11 billion people by the end of the century. That is a lot of mouths to feed. Yet, 30 per cent of food we purchase ends up in landfill—that is about five million tonnes, or over 140 kilos per person each year in landfill. Food waste costs farmers over $3 billion per year. While 70 per cent of food that we waste is perfectly edible, one in six Australian adults has not had enough to eat in the last year and 1.2 million children have gone hungry in the same period. Annually, 17.5 million tonnes of CO2 emissions is generated just from food wastage, excluding food that is exported, and is equal to annual emissions from our highest coal-fired power station.

Medical experts are calling on all of us to see climate change not just as an environmental issue but as a health issue with seriously devastating consequences, and they are predicting a catastrophy if the climate is not restored. Why? Firstly, they, more than any other group, see the human toll that I have just articulated for you and, secondly, because we know that climate change is disproportionately felt by the most disadvantaged and vulnerable groups in society and exacerbates health inequalities, especially amongst our Indigenous communities.

Extreme heat, for example, is felt most by the aged, pregnant and breastfeeding women, young children, people who consume certain medications, people who are socially isolated and people who have reduced mobility, limited housing options in terms of air conditioning, or limited transport options. We know, too, that heat poses an extra risk to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people due to the high frequency of heat-sensitive chronic diseases such as cardiac and renal conditions.

According to the World Health Organization, malnutrition, malaria, diarrhoea and heat stress caused by climate change will result in an extra 250,000 deaths between 2030 and 2050 alone. The direct cost to health, excluding health-determining sectors such as agriculture and water sanitation, is estimated to reach $US2 billion to $US4 billion by 2030. It has warned that climate change threatens to undermine the last 50 years of health advancements. As always, developing countries, those with weak infrastructure and weak and substandard healthcare systems, will be the least able to cope without assistance and support.

The Australian Medical Association (AMA) has been saying it for a number of years. The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners has called it a 'key public health issue'. There are thousands of doctors and health experts Australia-wide who have signed a petition calling for immediate change. Their associations are doing their bit to educate the medical fraternity as a whole—not only about the immediate consequences of climate change for patients and their health but also the need for longer term action.

For many years, Doctors for the Environment Australia have been advocating for all governments throughout Australia to formally declare a climate emergency and to urgently undertake a re-evaluation of priorities to end self-destructive practices. Everything I have said today has come from the policy documents not of environmentalists per se but rather our country's medical fraternities. In the words of Doctors for the Environment Australia, and I quote:

Knowing that climate change constitutes a public health crisis, knowing that solutions are available, knowing that we only have a short time to act to prevent runaway climate change, doctors are appalled and frightened by the ongoing refusal of politicians to take necessary action.

We must recognise climate change for the emergency that it is.

The change in the climate due to greenhouse gas emissions is accelerating, bringing with it more frequent and severe extreme weather events, an increase in infectious diseases, allergic and respiratory diseases, and the risk of global food shortages.

Doctors and other medical professionals are at the coalface of the physical and mental trauma caused by climate change, and they are foreseeing the worst. Of course, they are also in the unique position of being able to predict better than anyone the benefits climate policies can have on our healthcare systems beyond their intended impacts on the climate.

The AMA argues that these health benefits should be promoted as a public health opportunity with significant potential to offset some costs associated with addressing climate change, and that the health impacts of climate change and the health co-benefits of climate mitigation policies both bear economic costs and savings. As such, it is important that any economic evaluations of the costs and benefits of climate policies incorporate the predicted public health impact accrued for such policies and the public health costs of unmitigated climate change.

It is not dissimilar to, in fact it is associated with, the same argument that I know we have all heard put to us in relation to preventative health: the long-term benefits always outweigh up-front costs. There are a multitude of reasons why we ought to be considering climate change from a health perspective. These are but a few and they are led by medical experts, and I think it is important that they be placed on the record.

South Australia's health system has been in a state of crisis for years, made even worse by COVID-19. If ever there was a time to heed the advice of our medical profession, this is it. If you are not convinced by the science, then I for one would encourage you to better appreciate climate change from a health perspective. It is something that impacts each and every one of us. There is no question that this is the biggest global emergency of our lives and the lives of every generation that follows.

If we do not listen to the experts, the health specialists, the scientists, the medical professionals, the evidence before us, then our planet and our life support system is doomed and so are we. We cannot buy a new planet. Profit cannot continue to be the priority of successive governments or any government.

For the record, I indicate SA-Best will not be supporting the amendments that have been put by the opposition, for the same reasons that the Hon. Robert Simms has already outlined in his contribution. With those words, I indicate SA-Best's wholehearted support of this motion.

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Attorney-General, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector) (16:08): I thank honourable members for their contribution to this very important motion. In summing-up, once again I want to mention, as the Hon. Robert Simms has, the leadership that our former colleague the Hon. Mark Parnell has shown on this matter. For the benefit of the chamber, I indicate that we will be joining with the Greens and SA-Best in not supporting the amendments put forward, for very similar reasons but also because we do not want to delay the passage of the motion as we consider the amendments. We think it needs to happen yesterday, so we want it to happen today. With that, I commend the motion to the chamber.

The PRESIDENT: There have been amendments to the motion moved by the Hon. Ms Centofanti. I will put, as the first question, that the words proposed to be inserted in paragraph 1 by the Hon. N.J. Centofanti be so inserted.

Question resolved in the negative.

The PRESIDENT: I will put that the word 'and' in paragraph 3 and all of paragraph 4 as proposed to be struck out by the Hon. N.J. Centofanti stand as part of the motion. If you are against the Hon. N.J. Centofanti, you will vote yes.

The council divided on the question:

Ayes 10

Noes 5

Majority 5

AYES
Bonaros, C. Bourke, E.S. Hanson, J.E.
Maher, K.J. (teller) Martin, R.B. Ngo, T.T.
Pangallo, F. Scriven, C.M. Simms, R.A.
Wortley, R.P.
NOES
Centofanti, N.J. (teller) Curran, L.A. Game, S.L.
Hood, D.G.E. Lensink, J.M.A.
PAIRS
Franks, T.A. Wade, S.G. Hunter, I.K.
Girolamo, H.M. Pnevmatikos, I. Lee, J.S.

Question thus agreed to; motion carried.

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