Proposed changes to the CPRS
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Joint Letter by 66 Climate Action Groups
The Hon Kevin Rudd MP
Prime Minister
Parliament House
CANBERRA ACT 2600a
Date: 5th May 2009
RE: PROPOSED CHANGES TO AUSTRALIA’S TARGET AND CPRS
Dear Prime Minister
The 66 Climate Action Groups signing this letter are completely shocked by your decision yesterday to further weaken Australia’s position on climate change. We believe that you have abandoned your duty of care to protect the Australian people as well as our species and habitats from dangerous climate change. Groups strongly oppose your new 2020 emissions reduction target band of 5-25%below 2000 levels:
- We have consistently called for targets based on the best available climate science,
which calls for reductions of at least 40 – 50% by developed countries by 2020.
- The 5% unconditional target would, according to the world’s top scientists, commit us
to catastrophic climate change and the IPCC’s worst-case scenarios.
- The 25% upper target, if applied globally, would lead to at least 2° C of warming and the
loss of the Great Barrier Reef. This is an untenable position and we cannot accept it.
- These targets also remain out of step with the unconditional targets agreed to by other
developed nations (the UK, US and EU have agreed to cut emissions by 34-46%, 20% and 20-30% from 1990 levels respectively).
Groups also assert that a global agreement based on 450ppm CO2e will not protect the Great Barrier Reef, as you suggested yesterday. International scientists estimate that atmospheric CO2 needs to be no more than 350ppm, but preferably closer to 300ppm, to avoid dangerous climate change.
Your decision to further weaken the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS) by increasing the number of free permits, delaying the Scheme by a year and introducing a $10 price cap in the first year, completely flies in the face of the thousands of submissions that were lodged by concerned communities, scientists and individuals.
Groups, once again, recommend you urgently fix the fundamental flaws in the CPRS by:
- Urgently exclude international permits from the CPRS so that actual emissions in Australia will begin to fall from 2010 onwards, rather than reductions only taking place from 2035 onwards (as forecast by the Federal Treasury).
- Remove the emission floor in the CPRS (which prevents emissions from falling below the
5% target), to ensure that individual action can contribute to additional emissions abatement over and above the 5-25% emissions reduction target band.
The proposed ‘Australian Carbon Trust’ does not address our concerns on the need for individual action to be additional to the 5% target. The Trust simply formalises what individuals were always able to do anyway. No matter what individuals do to reduce emissions we can never go beyond the 5% target.
- Exclude both reforestation and deforestation from the Scheme – Groups note the current
treatment creates a market distortion in favour of increasing native forest logging. This requires urgent rectification.
- Replace ALL free-permits in the CPRS with a system of Border Adjustments, to
ensure that these sectors transition to a lower emissions intensity without being unduly disadvantaged in the international market.
- Change the requirements for the $3.9 billion of assistance to coal-fired generators
under the CPRS to be conditional upon a phase-out plan for these generators.
Yesterday’s announcement has confirmed to us that you have not been able to stand up to the immense pressure exerted upon you by industry.
Your election promises to the Australian people on climate change were clear and unequivocal. Despite all of this, you have chosen to put industry interests above the national interest.
We stand by our comments to the Senate last month – we believe that your climate change ‘spin’ is deceptive and misleading to both the Australian public and the international community.
The 66 Climate Action Groups signing this letter urge you to treat climate change as the emergency it is, and broker an ambitious new climate deal for Australia that truly addresses the needs of future generations, builds new jobs in ecologically sustainable industries and protects our precious species and habitats.
Contact for this letter: Tracey Tipping, Climate Action Pittwater, ph: 0411 861 269.
Yours sincerely
- Aldinga Climate Action Group, SA
- Alpine Riverkeepers, NSW
- Ararat Greenhouse Action Group Inc, VIC
- Australian Forest and Climate Alliance, National
- Bathurst Community Climate Action Network (BCCAN), NSW
- Bayside Climate Change Action Group (BCCAG), VIC
- Bendigo Sustainability Group (BSG), VIC
- Beyond Zero Emissions, VIC
- Ballarat Renewable Energy and Zero Emissions (BREAZE), VIC
- Boroondara Sustainability Network, VIC
- Canberra and South East Region Environment Centre Inc, ACT
- Carbon Equity, VIC
- Citizens Climate Campaign, NSW
- Clean Energy For Eternity - Jindabyne, NSW
- Clean Energy For Eternity - Palerang, NSW
- Climate Action Brisbane, QLD
- Clean Energy For Eternity - Bega, NSW
- Climate Action Canberra, ACT
- Climate Action Hobart, TAS
- Climate Action Newtown, NSW
- Climate Action Pittwater, NSW
- Climate Action Tomaree (WG of EcoNetwork Port Stephens), NSW
- Climate Change Balmain-Rozelle, NSW
- Climate Emergency Action Network (CLEAN), SA
- Climate Emergency Action Network (CLEAN) West, SA
- Climate Emergency Network, VIC
- Dandenong Ranges Renewable Energy Association Inc, VIC
- Darebin Climate Action Now, VIC
- Drummoyne/Canada Bay/Lowe Climate Action Group, NSW
- Emerald for Sustainability, VIC
- Environment House, WA
- Families Facing Climate Change, VIC
- 450ppm, NSW
- Green Coast Catalysts, NSW
- Greenleap Strategic Institute, VIC
- Greenlivingpedia – For A Sustainable Future (greenlivingpedia.org)
- Jamberoo FutureCare, NSW
- Katoomba Area Climate Action Now, NSW
- Kyogle Climate Action Network, NSW
- Lismore Climate Action Group, NSW
- Locals into Victoria’s Environment (LIVE), VIC
- Lighter Footprints, VIC
- Moonee Valley Climate Action, VIC
- Moreland Climate Group, VIC
- Mount Alexander Sustainability Group (MASG), VIC
- Mums, Kids and Climate, SA
- National Toxics Network, NSW
- Otway Ranges Climate Action (ORCA), VIC
- Our Future is the Natural World, NSW
- ParraCAN, NSW
- People for a Safe Climate (Inner City Sydney CAG), NSW
- Plug-In Australia, NSW
- Quest 2025, QLD
- SEE-Change Inc, ACT
- SEE-Change Inner South, ACT
- South-East Region Conservation Alliance (SERCA), NSW
- Southern Otway Landcare Network (SOLN), VIC
- Surf Coast Energy Group, VIC
- Sustainability in Stonnington, VIC
- Sustainable Environment Education Development Inc (SEED), VIC
- Sustainable Living Foundation, VIC
- Sutherland Climate Action Network, NSW
- UQ Climate for Change (Students and Staff at UQ), QLD
- Victorian Climate Action Centre, VIC
- Yarra Climate Action Now!, VIC
- Zero Carbon Network, SA