36 organisations and scientists have signed on to the NT Climate Response Statement, urging the Northern Territory Government to adopt a climate policy of net zero emissions by 2050.
The NT Climate Response Statement was presented to the Northern Territory Government in Darwin today, by Environment Centre NT and the Arid Lands Environment Centre. Wendy Morton, Executive Director of NTCOSS, and Eytan Lenko, Director at Beyond Zero Emissions, co-presented the statement.
All other Australian states and territories have climate policies/legislation and have committed to net zero emissions by 2050, except for Western Australia and the Northern Territory.
The Northern Territory is highly vulnerable to climate change with a predicted increase in the number of extreme weather events and heatwaves, which will have a significant impact on remote communities and exacerbate existing health, housing and liveability issues.
The Northern Territory is already being impacted by climate change with increased temperatures and the loss of large swathes of mangroves across the Top End.
The Northern Territory’s carbon emissions have increased by 28% over the last ten years, and are set to continue to rise with the INPEX Ichthys gas project coming online, and the recent announcement to lift the moratorium on fracking.
A number of indigenous, health and social service organisations have signed the NT Climate Statement, acknowledging the impacts of climate change and the pressure it will put on already stretched resources for health and social welfare.
“A comprehensive climate policy is urgently needed to outline how the Northern Territory will reduce emissions, provide certainty for business and the economy, and to provide planning for how urban and remote NT communities will adjust to a warming world,” said Shar Molloy Director of the Environment Centre NT.
“As the rest of the world takes action, it is unacceptable that Northern Territory emissions continue to rise, and will rise significantly with continued government investment in gas,” said Jimmy Cocking, CEO Arid Lands Environment Centre.
“There are benefits for taking action on climate change. Just look at Queensland and Victoria, where new large scale solar and wind projects are coming online, attracting investment in renewable energy and contributing to the local economy. Without the right policy signals, the NT is missing out on these opportunities,” said Jimmy Cocking.
“We urge concerned NT community members to sign the NT Climate Petition asking Chief Minister Gunner to show strong leadership and develop a climate policy that has emission reduction targets,” said Shar Molloy.
The NT Climate Petition can be found at: https://www.alec.org.au/sign_the_nt_climate_petition
The NT Climate Statement can be found here