Bob Brown (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

They have frequently asked what is Australia’s contribution to global atmospheric pollution. It has been frequently argued, by prominent spokespeople, from the sceptics in the National Party and the coalition generally, that we should not act before other countries do because it would be such a tiny effect that it will not change materially what happens in the atmosphere. I am using the same mad logic involved in saying, ‘Well, what difference does it make if you have a 90 per cent reduction in the productivity of the Murray-Darling Basin because we do not act first and take a leadership role in this huge common human problem of climate change.’ I urge the people who think that way to think again.

We in this nation are amongst the world’s greatest per capita polluters of the atmosphere. If you take into account export coal—and the National Party is a prodigious supporter of accelerating the export of coal to be burnt on this planet to rapidly increase greenhouse gas emissions—then the Australian contributions are double what is actually counted in terms of its domestic output. But there you go. I say again, as Senator Milne said: we are all aware of the fact that this amendment is the most crucial amendment, because it would get us back on track. It is a centrepoint to the Greens presentation, which backs the science and the responsible calls from the best thinkers on the planet, that, at their behest, we take this action in this democratic system, and if we cannot do it who on earth is going to do so.