Have you heard of Angus Taylor? If not, let us share a quick overview of his CV…
Australia’s Minister for Energy and Emissions Reductions has a track record that makes a mockery of his job title:
- On his watch, Australia’s greenhouse gas pollution levels have gone up as we slide ever further from our Paris targets. [1]
- He has tried to mislead the public about those rising emissions levels, whilst spreading fear and misinformation about renewable energy.
- He is propping up Australia’s ageing and polluting coal power stations with plans to funnel yet more taxpayer dollars into a climate-wrecking coal slush fund. [2]
It’s not good enough. We deserve better. Angus Taylor and his policies are an affront to all Australians who want to see a real emissions reduction policy to stop damage to our climate. To those who want clean air and a safe planet for the next generation.
That’s why this week across Australia the Break Free Actions Squad are getting out and about in their local communities to ring the alarm. To name and shame Taylor, and to call our crisis for what it is: a climate emergency.
We’ve seen awesome community activists from Geelong, to Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra taking part, with more to come. These are the people leading climate action in Australia right now!
A selection of the protests springing up this week
Spotted: this banner in Canberra last night!
Activists in Geelong
And do you want to get involved in this kind of action? Sign up now.
But while our leaders let us down, ordinary Australians are stepping up and showing real climate leadership. And in spite of Angus Taylor and the Coalition, renewables are booming!
Just today, reports emerged that we are on track to hit our 2020 large-scale renewables target. [3] That’s great news. But it’s no thanks to Angus Taylor, however much he might try to cynically claim the credit.
This is a man who has already tried to kill the current renewables target and has no plans to extend or replace it. Without clear policy to support renewables, there’s a real danger that the sector could begin to collapse once the current renewable targets expire in 2020.
Did you know that Australia had more climate emergency declarations – a powerful first step to climate action – than anywhere else on the planet last month? That’s incredible! Already over 3.7m of the population lives in areas represented by climate declared councils. [4] It’s evidence of a ground-up revolution on climate action, and it’s inspiring to watch.
Now it’s time for our leaders to follow suit.
Do you want to take action in your local community? Sign up now.
Taylor has confirmed the Federal Government is considering using public money to fund 10 coal projects [5], and repeatedly refused to rule out using public money to replace or extend the life of the ageing Liddell coal power station, slated for closure in 2023. [6]
We know that burning coal for power is Australia’s number one contributor to global warming. It intensifies dangerous and extreme weather events like floods, heat-waves, droughts, bushfires and cyclones.
Tell Taylor to do his job and stop funding coal with our taxpayer dollars.
Let’s Break Free from fossil fuels.
[1] https://www.abc.net.au/news/
[2] https://www.abc.net.au/news/
[3] https://www.smh.com.au/
[4] https://
[5] https://www.theguardian.com/
[6] https://www.theguardian.com/
