When Australia announced the target it would be taking to December’s U.N. climate conference in Paris, France — it will present a carbon emissions target of 26 to 28 percent below 2005 levels by 2030 — the overwhelming response was that it wasn’t enough.
“The target is embarrassing because it puts us at the bottom of the pack of all the major developed economies,” Marc Purcell, executive director of the Australian Council for International Development, said. “It says we don’t care enough about the damaging storms, king tides and inundation that climate change is bringing across Southeast Asia.”
On Monday, Caritas Australia, Catholic Earthcare and the Australian Catholic Social Justice Council took their message directly to Parliament House in Canberra. The special event, with a panel representing developing communities, government, nongovernmental organizations and the Roman Catholic Church, urged Australia to do more for neighboring countries fighting against climate change on a daily basis.
About the author
Lisa Cornish@lisa_cornish
Lisa Cornish is a freelance data journalist based in Canberra, Australia. Lisa formerly worked with News Corp Australia as a data journalist for the national network and was published throughout Australia in major metropolitan and regional newspapers, including the Daily Telegraph in Melbourne, Herald Sun in Melbourne, Courier-Mail in Brisbane and online through news.com.au. Lisa has recently been awarded the 2014 Journalist of the Year by the New South Wales Institute of Surveyors.
