The Vote Climate campaign assesses the political parties and candidates against the policies needed to deliver a safe climate, even where this is outside business as usual and politics as usual.
Every year counts in the fight against climate change – that’s why this election is so important. According to the Potsdam Institute, Australia must get to zero emissions in under a decade to avoid more than 2 degrees warming (see why at the Safe Climate Australia Strategic Framework). But even two degrees warming is not safe.
All the evidence shows that the climate system is nearing significant tipping points. For example, we may soon see the loss of all the Arctic sea ice in summer. Satellite information shows that ice sheets in Greenland and western Antarctica are shrinking faster than we thought and may already be in runaway melt.
This means we need to take strong and urgent action on climate change, starting right now.
Vote Climate supports the Transition Decade alliance in working towards a decade of social and economic transformation to restore a safe climate for all people, all plants and animals and all the generations to come. This includes working to rapidly replace fossil fuel use with 100% clean renewable energy.
We are impressed and inspired by the work of the dedicated and talented volunteers at Beyond Zero Emissions. Their Zero Carbon Australia 2020 Stationary Energy Plan was released with the Melbourne University Energy Research Institute in August this year and shows how Australia could have a zero carbon electricity sector by 2020.
We’re working together with other community groups all around the country, like the 100% Renewables campaign, to make sure that all of our politicians get the message.
We want to see the changes that are needed made in a way that is fair to all and that looks after vulnerable individuals and communities.
The solutions are available. What is lacking is action from politicians. But politicians listen to their voters. Working together we can get the politicians moving to ensure a safe climate.
