On Friday 27 March, community climate action groups and environment organisations across Australia are taking action to urge the government to improve the proposed Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS).
Australians concerned about climate change will be gathering outside their local Federal members' electoral offices, to voice their concerns about the inadequacy of the proposed CPRS to deliver swift and effective emissions reductions.
We urge you to be part of this action.
There are a number of ways you could do this:
- Find out from the Step It Up website if a gathering is happening in your electorate, and join it if you can, even if only for a short time.
- If nothing is shown there for your electorate, contact your local Climate Action Group (CAG) and ask if they are joining in this action. They just may not have registered their action.
- If there is no planned action for you to join, email or mail the letter below to your MP.
[Click here to find contact details of your local federal MP - by their name or electorate.]
The issues of major concern are:
- The Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme should not be put to Parliament in its current form.
- The government should keep open the option of a more ambitious cut to carbon emissions by setting an upper limit of 25% in its target of 5-15% by 2020.
- Australia should not have already legislated its targets before the Copenhagen negotiations take place.
- Even the Government's own advisor, Professor Garnaut, has strongly criticised the CPRS in its current form, especially the government's plan for compensation of the biggest polluters.
- There are no incentives for the expansion of the renewable energy industry, with cheap coal-fired electricity virtually given a free ride.
- The CPRS in its current form also totally removes any incentive for individuals to actively reduce their emissions (e.g. by installing solar panels), as by doing so they will simply make it easier for polluting industries to increase their emissions. Individual actions should lower emissions, not lower carbon prices.
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In December 2009 in Copenhagen, the UN Climate Change Conference will be held to attempt to reach agreement on how to handle climate change.
So 2009 is the "make or break" year in which Australian citizens have their last chance to influence their government.
If the government's actions do not reflect a much greater sense of urgency in Copenhagen than they are currently showing, scientists are telling us there is no chance of averting runaway climate change.
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Regards from the Citizens Climate Campaign Committee
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(your town or suburb), postcode
(date)
Dear (your local federal MP's name),
I am proud to be a part of an action by community climate action groups and environment organisations that is taking place across Australia, on Friday 27th March. These groups are taking action to urge the government to imp rove the proposed Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS).
I am one of many Australian citizens who are taking action across Australia on Friday 27th March to urge the government to improve the proposed Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS).
I call on you to represent me in the Australian parliament and make a case for the following concerns being raised by one of your constituents:
- The Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme should not be put to Parliament in its current form.
- The government should keep open the option of a more ambitious cut to carbon emissions than its target of 5-15% by 2020.
- Australia should not have already legislated its targets before the Copenhagen negotiations take place. Australia should be able to take part in these negotiations and act on a global decision when it is reached.
- The government's plan for compensating the biggest polluters should be abolished.
- There are no incentives for the expansion of the renewable energy industry, with cheap coal-fired electricity virtually given a free ride.
- The CPRS in its current form totally removes any incentive for individuals to actively reduce their emissions (e.g. by installing solar panels), as by doing so they will simply make it easier for polluting industries to increase their emissions. Individual actions should lower emissions, not lower carbon prices.
Yours sincerely,
(your name)
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