Welcome to the Greens’ Climate Futures campaign

NSW is being led down a dangerous path. The runaway expansion of the coal industry is locking our economy and the environment into an uncertain future. While the rest of the world makes the transition to a low-carbon economy in response to climate change, Australia fails to take real action and remains firmly in the grip of the powerful polluting coal industry.

The NSW Labor Government is rapidly expanding the mining, burning and exporting of coal. Recently it approved another coal export terminal in Newcastle which will double coal exports, opened the fertile Gunnedah Basin to new coal exploration by BHP Billiton, approved the controversial Anvil Hill coal mine and is set to approve dozens more new coal mines.

We are now in a climate crisis brought on by escalating greenhouse gas emissions. NSW is particularly vulnerable to adverse climate changes like drought, flooding and extreme coastal storms. The major parties have their heads in the sand.

The Greens‘ Climate Futures Bill 2007 sought to take real action on Australia’s largest single source of greenhouse gas emissions, coal. The Greens want to stop the expansion of the greedy coal industry and start building a better climate future with new jobs in clean, sustainable energy industries to leave a sustainable economy and a healthy planet for our children.

More information:

• The Climate Futures Bill 2007
• Background to the bill
• John's speech introducing the bill
• John's speech in reply to the debate

Update:

The Climate Futures Bill was voted on and defeated on 26 February 2008, with all non-Greens members opposing the bill. The campaign for real solutions to dangerous climate change continues.