The Socialist Alliance has launched a "climate change roadshow" to promote its radical policy of a 60% reduction in greenhouse emissions by 2020 and a 90% reduction by 2030.
The alliance's climate change charter, It Happens to be an Emergency, was officially launched in Sydney by climate change spokesperson and Senate candidate Kamala Emanuel on September 11. She will be making further presentations in Sydney and across NSW in the coming month, including in Taree on September 30, Lismore on October 4 and Katoomba on October 21.
"Its easy to be lulled into a false sense of security when listening to some of the mainstream discussion about climate change", Emanuel told Green Left Weekly. "Even the large environment organisations are promoting targets that will not avert a climate disaster."
"It's difficult to exaggerate how urgent it is that we make dramatic changes", said Emanuel. "If we were to take seriously the message from the scientists who know, we should be talking about changes beginning this year, next year and the year after — not vague (and inadequate) targets for fifty years' time.
"There are plenty of things we can begin right now — mandatory renewable energy targets and a phase-out of coal and uranium, massive expansion of public transport, legally enforceable emissions targets and government-sponsored energy efficiency measures.
"Ultimately, we need to break the power of the big corporations and their governments — which is why we campaign now for socialism."