Climate tipping points are being passed and the Coalition government, Labor and the Greens are failing to come up with an adequate plan to meet this existential challenge.
Climate Change
If there is one thing the recent unprecedented bushfire emergency has proved to us in Australia — and to millions in countries who watched on in horror — is that the climate emergency is not just something to worry about in the future: this is the climate emergency and it is already catastrophic.
The Socialist Alliance has recently updated our Climate Emergency Action Plan (or Climate Charter) that was first developed in 2010.
The science is clear: to stop runaway warming we will need to create net zero emissions economies and societies well before 2050. At a minimum we need 100% renewable energy by 2030.
Big corporations fund Australia’s two “parties of government”. They received more than $430 million from corporate Australia in the year leading up to the May 2019 federal election. This is a record amount: $150 million more than the previous highest total.
Union leaderships are still falling in behind the Australian Council of Trade Unions’ “re-elect Labour at all costs” strategy, which effectively ignores the seismic shift in public opinion around needing to take action on climate change. The planet, and communities being affected by climate change now, cannot wait while Anthony Albanese and the Australian Labor Party get their act together.
Morrison has to go and, if the outrage at his callous ineptitude compels the cabinet to sack him, that would be a good thing.
The horror of the devastating and apocalyptic fires in NSW and Victoria has not only dampened the New Year party mood, it has fanned anger over the government's obvious failure to respond to the climate emergency.
As the climate crisis pushes the planet past certain tipping points protests and resistance grow.
PM Scott Morrison hypocritically describes the climate movement as opposed to “alternative views”. Yet he is the one refusing to compromise on climate action.
Labor has made it clear that it plans to adopt a strategy of leading from the rear.
The challenge of making an ecosocialist revolution is huge — and there is no guarantee of victory. But there is no more noble goal in this time than to work with others to try to make it happen.