FUTURE PLANNING: Climate change must be accounted for in the Australian Treasury’s intergenerational report, inaction will be measured in people’s lives
With the release of the federal government’s latest Intergenerational Report, Australia gains insight into the long-term sustainability of current policies over the next 40 years, and how the economic outlook will be affected by changes in demography, technology and other structural trends.
However, in past Intergenerational Reports, weather extremes caused by a warming planet, and how current policies will help to mitigate the increasing severity of floods, droughts and fires have not been sufficiently addressed in, with climate change treated as an externality to the economy; experts in the field say failure to consider the climate as an integral part of future planning “will be measured in people's lives”.
The following spokespeople are available:
CLIMATE COUNCIL
Nicki Hutley, Climate Councillor at the Climate Council and economist, is a highly experienced economist particularly interested in the intersection of economy, society and environment. Nicki is a sought-after media commentator on economic issues more broadly and can speak to the long term costs of climate change including insurance, the costs of extreme weather events. Location: Sydney. Only available between 3pm to 5pm.
Dr Tim Nelson, Climate Councillor at the Climate Council and environmental economist, Tim is one of Australia’s leading energy and environmental economists. He is an Associate Professor at the Griffith University Centre for Applied Energy Economics and Policy Research. Tim has nearly 25 years of experience in energy and climate policy. Location: Sydney. Available after 12 midday.
CMC Spokespeople
Prof. John Quiggin, Economist at University of Queensland.
John Quiggin is prominent both as a research economist and as a commentator on Australian economic policy. He can talk about the potential impacts of climate change on the Queensland and Australian economies. Location: Brisbane, QLD
Tweet: “The #Albanese government is happy to let the planet burn, but wants us to worry about how the budget will look in 40 years time #auspol #climatecatastrophe”
“I’m quite sceptical of these reports. Claims that we have an ageing population, and things are going to get tough so we need to tighten our belts now, have been a staple of policy discussion for many decades. The projections are very much hypothetical in nature, we don’t really have an idea what the nation's debt will be in 40 years or how the market will be operating in 2063, let alone what the interest rate on debt will be. All of these calculations will be rendered irrelevant by catastrophic climate change, but our political leaders show no interest in doing anything serious about it.
Nic Seton, Australian Parents for Climate Action CEO says:
“The costs of climate inaction are a force multiplier. Everything from health to defence will be affected by worsening climate without ambitious action now. How can we expect young people to support the rising costs of our future economy if we aren’t prepared to invest the bare minimum to secure a safe climate? Everybody stands to be better off with urgent climate action today.”
Johanna Nalau, adaptation scientist with a PhD in climate change adaptation at Griffith University, can talk about research on the role of decision making mindsets in how we adapt to climate change, climate adaptation and the gap between academic theory and real-world practical actions. Johanna was a Lead Author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 6th Assessment Report. Location: Gold Coast, QLD - Available after 1pm
SCHOOL STRIKES FOR CLIMATE
*We have access to school aged talent who can talk about their personal outlook for the next 40 years. To note, as they attend school, their availability is quite restricted, so they need more lead time for coordinating interview times.
“It doesn’t make sense to talk about the state of the economy in 40 years time without acknowledging the existential elephant in the room - climate change. The economy as we know it won’t exist unless we take urgent action now to address emissions and speed the transition to renewable energy so we can have a safe and secure future.”
For interviews, please contact:
Sean Kennedy on 0447 121 378 (sean.kennedy@climatemediacentre.org.au)
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Contact details:
Sean Kennedy
0447 121 378