Letter to the Minister for Energy and Resources 12.2.15

Lily D’Ambrosio MLA, Minister for Energy and Resources

Dear Ms D’Ambrosio,

I am writing to you with regards the parlous situation we find ourselves in with regards climate change and your portfolio. There are many reports that suggest we are currently heading for worst-case climate scenarios in Australia. e.g. See a recent report from the UK’s prestigious journal The Economist http://www.economist.com/news/science-and-technology/21642247-predictions-wide-brown-lands-future-get-ever-more-dire-droughts-and-flooding-rains?fsrc=scn/tw_ec/of_droughts_and_flooding_rains

It is becoming increasingly clear that we cannot burn all our carbon resources without destroying the planet. This is known as the ‘Carbon Budget’ – a term you are no doubt familiar with. The US citizen first to raise the ‘Carbon Budget’ question was Bill McKibben. http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/global-warmings-terrifying-new-math-20120719 His calculations have been refined and reproduced many times.

The upshot of this is we need to reduce our carbon emissions as quickly as possible. I suggest the following.

  1. Give up on onshore unconventional gas (CSG) completely. Just ban it.
  2. Abandon all projects aimed at further coal development.
  3. Turn Morwell and the Latrobe Valley from a depressed area into a growth centre by pouring funds into it. (e.g. I believe offshore wind generation employs twice as many workers as offshore oil & gas)When this has been achieved begin the process of closing down the brown coal generators and rehabilitating the open cut mines.

The time to start this process is now.

Sincerely

Peter Gardner

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Lisa Neville Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Water

Russell North MLA Morwell

Tim Bull MLA Gippsland East

Darren Chester, MHR Gippsland