Page 23 - Week 01 - Tuesday, 11 February 2020

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Arctic is beginning to thaw on a large scale, and it is likely to release huge stores of carbon dioxide and, even more than that, methane—a greenhouse gas 30 times more potent than CO2.

I could quote more scientists on this, but I do not think this will convince anyone who has not already been convinced by living in Canberra or on the South Coast over this summer that we have a life-threatening emergency. Over a billion animals have died. It is amazingly good, actually, that so few people have died. Thirty-four people is a lot of people, but it could have been worse.

I want to thank once more the amazing people who protected us. Of course, we are also finding out that protection is a limited resource. The ESA and other agencies, unfortunately, have had to make it clear to us that we cannot expect a fire truck on every street or even in every suburb.

I will conclude by saying that I really find it hard to know what to do now. Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions have apparently more than doubled because of the fires. Have we reached a tipping point such that runaway climate change is inevitable, or can we change so that the world can have a habitable climate? What will it take to make this happen? Is there some way we can go back to summer being a carefree holiday instead of a time of tension, with either fire or flood?

MR PETTERSSON (Yerrabi) (11.19): The ACT and wider Australian community have faced an unprecedented bushfire season which had a profound impact on our way of life over summer. The Canberra that we all know and love has been anything but business as usual. We saw incessant smoke, fires and storms prevent Canberrans from going about their day-to-day lives.

The effects of our changing climate have wreaked havoc on our city. Our shops, restaurants and community centres were forced to close to ensure that Canberrans remained safe in the face of constant smoke, high temperatures and even hail. Dangerous hailstorms in the last month have damaged our cars and our homes, creating a lasting social and economic impact on our city. Despite the immeasurable effects of the bushfires on our everyday lives, we have seen the Canberra community respond to the country’s bushfire crisis with support and compassion.

Since the beginning of the fire season many of my constituents have written to me expressing their deep concern about the state of our climate and unprecedented threats to our local environment that we have seen in this bushfire season.

Canberrans have opened their homes to those fleeing from the South Coast. Grassroots community groups such as Books for the Bush have ensured that families, some of whom have lost their homes and possessions, can experience an easier transition back to day-to-day life during this back-to-school period. The “empty esky” campaign is gathering momentum every day, as Canberrans are making a trip down to the South Coast to kickstart their local economies following this disastrous summer. I, for one, look forward to joining in sooner rather than later with a trip down to the coast.


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