Bushfire survivors delivered 11,061 signatures to Environment Minister demanding climate impacts are included in environment law reforms
July 31, 2024
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Bushfire Survivors for Climate Action
BUSHFIRE SURVIVORS FOR CLIMATE ACTION (BSCA) have delivered a petition signed by more than 11,000 Australians to the office of the federal Minister for the Environment and Water, Hon Tanya Plibersek MP, at 10am on Wednesday July 31, calling on the government to ensure climate impacts will be assessed under the new environment laws.
Serena Joyner, CEO of Bushfire Survivors for Climate Action said: “As people on the frontlines of escalating climate impacts we’re despairing at the slow progress on federal laws to protect the environment and Australian communities from the impacts of climate change. Limiting emissions this decade is critical to limiting climate change, and so any delay in creating a strong Nature Positive Law that adequately considers climate impacts is dangerous. And until that happens, we need to stop pouring fuel on the fire and pause approvals of new coal and gas projects.”
The petition, launched in partnership with the Climate Council last year, also demands that until the inadequate 20-year-old environment law is reformed, the federal government hits pause on approvals of coal and gas projects.
Dr Jennifer Rayner, Head of Policy and Advocacy at the Climate Council, said: “The work to fix our national environment law seems to have stalled, but approval of new fossil fuel projects hasn’t. We need urgent action now to put climate at the heart of this law so that it can protect nature and communities from escalating climate change.
“The Parliament is considering updates to our national environment law right now. This is the moment to make an essential change that can respond to the Australian community’s clear call to protect nature from climate change.”
BSCA has spoken out previously about the closed nature of the consultation on the development of the new laws, with access to drafts being restricted to around 30 organisations including minerals and resources councils and lacking any representation from communities on the frontline of climate change.
This petition has now received more than 10,000 signatures. The Environment Minister has been unable to meet with BSCA for delivery of the petition, so Ms Joyner and Bushfire Survivors for Climate Action members Angela Frimberger and Donna Andrews have delivered the results in person to Ms Plibersek’s office on Wednesday morning.
“Even with the federal agency Environment Protection Australia (EPA) in place, the law that it enforces has major gaps and loopholes that leave the environment – and communities – severely vulnerable, especially on climate change,” said Ms Joyner, “We’re deeply concerned about more highly emitting projects being approved under the present weak law before the reforms are completed.”
Media enquiries:
Climate Media Centre - Sean Kennedy - 0447 121 378 - sean.kennedy@climatemediacentre.org.au
About Bushfire Survivors for Climate Action (BSCA):
Bushfire Survivors for Climate Action (BSCA) is a non-partisan, community organisation made up of bushfire survivors, firefighters and their families working together to call on our leaders to take action on climate change. BSCA formed shortly after the Tathra and District fire in March 2018, and its founding members were all impacted by bushfires, including the Black Summer bushfires in 2019-20, Blue Mountains in 2013, Black Saturday in 2009 and Canberra in 2003.
BSCA has been at the cutting edge of legal reform to reduce climate emissions and hold governments, agencies and companies to account. In 2023 the NSW Environment Protection Agency was the first such agency in the country to introduce a climate policy, which it was required to do as a result of landmark court action taken by BSCA.
BSCA members Angela Frimberger and Donna Andrews delivering the petition with over 11K signatures