Hi John,

People battling wildfires, children wearing gas masks in their own homes, thousands evacuated to a beach on New Year’s Eve. More than 20 human lives and hundreds of millions of animal lives lost. This is what a climate emergency looks like. [1]

The fires in Australia have so far consumed and burned an area the size of Scotland.

But the Australian government has been acting as though climate breakdown is someone else’s problem, [2] and is stubbornly continuing to invest in coal. [3]

Fighting climate change this decade has to be a global effort, and requires bold leadership like never before. As an important global ally and friend - the UK Prime Minister must urge the Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison to take the climate emergency seriously and move away from coal.

Australia is the second biggest coal exporter in the world and out of 57 countries, they are ranked the worst on climate policy. [4]

Meanwhile, those on the frontlines of the climate crisis are suffering. Global weather is intensifying, with devastating effects for people everywhere. [5]

If ever there was a time to move away from coal and invest more in sustainable alternatives, surely it is now.

The UK has already committed to phase out coal - the dirtiest of fossil fuels - by 2025. And this year our Government will be hosting the next big international climate conference, COP 26, in Glasgow, putting them in a leadership position. [6]

Leadership on climate means doing everything possible to reduce our emissions to net zero at home. It also means telling our allies what they might not always want to hear. So first on the list for our new PM Johnson is to speak with PM Morrison and tell him that it’s time for Australia to phase out coal.

This decade we will turn this ship around.

Thanks for all you do,

Flo,
Greenpeace UK

Notes:

  1. Read our blog about the bushfires and how climate change is making them worse.
  2. Australia’s leaders unmoved on climate action after devastating bushfires
  3. Out on its own: Australia, the only country to use climate funding to upgrade coal-fire plants
  4. Australia ranked worst of 57 countries on climate policy
  5. The top ten weather and climate stories of 2019
  6. COP 26:Glasgow to host UN climate change summit in 2020

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