Climate Future
Climate Future is an ongoing initiative by the Community Environment Network to keep the community engaged about how climate change is impacting the Central Coast and beyond.
Climate Future
We have to face the fact that we are to blame for heating up our planet and act rapidly to transition to the zero carbon economy.
Our climate has already changed. Increased heatwaves, bushfires, droughts and flooding is occurring alongside reports of rising seas, melting ice, acidifying oceans with plants, animals and people dying.
The situation is dire because we have delayed effective action for more than 30 years.
We must make “immediate, rapid and large-scale cuts in emissions” or we will not be able to stay below the Paris goals. This means there will be catastrophic destabilization of the global climate with unpredictable and sudden impacts on people everywhere. A situation we cannot allow to happen.
To stay in touch and receive announcements, Like our Facebook page
To stay in touch and receive announcements
To discuss the issues or get active
How did we get here?
It is now more than 30 years since Dr James Hansen’s testimony to the US Congress warning of what has now become reality and 160 years since Eunice Foote described the role of CO2 in the greenhouse effect.
The amount of warming we experience depends on the sum total of human emissions. This means that we have a limited “budget” before the Paris Goal of below 2C will be out of reach.
At current rates, we will exhaust this budget within this decade. Emissions cuts are not just urgent, they must start immediately.
We can do our bit to cut our own emissions footprint (changing to renewable electricity, driving an EV, consuming less, etc.) But we must also impress upon our leaders and politicians that action is required now and must not be delayed any longer.
This is an ethical and moral issue. Justice demands action. We are living at the expense of our descendants – we will all suffer if we don’t take the necessary action.
Please talk to our political leaders, write letters, call them. We need leadership now, not more delay.
Climate Future Group
The Climate Future group was formed by members of the Central Coast community because our response to the threat of climate change needs community support. In 2020 Climate Future has become a part of CEN and is managed as a subcommittee of CEN.
The group recognises the following:
- That it is clear that the warming being experienced is caused by human activities, in particular the emission of green house gases mainly from combustion of fossil fuels but also from deforestation, gases from waste, man-made chemicals (e.g. refrigerants), agriculture, etc.
- That the acidity of the Earth’s oceans is being driven up by human emissions of CO2 into the atmosphere.
- That the earth has warmed already by more than 1.0 deg C over pre-industrial temperatures.
- That the emissions already created will drive further climate warming of the order of a further 1.0 deg C.
- That the impacts on the Earth’s biosphere are currently set to continue for a minimum of 1000 years.
- That the impacts include human/society losses as well as biodiversity loss:
- Rising temperature – heatwaves, wildfire, drought, etc
- Increasing storm intensity – cyclones, thunderstorms, etc.
- Rising sea level and loss of human settlements/agricultural land
- Increasing ocean acidity
- Health impacts – heat stress and disease
- Biodiversity loss — 30% to 80%
The Aims of the Climate Future are:
- To see national and local actions – a price on carbon (e.g. an ETS); All parties to implement a price immediately.
- Ban on any new fossil fuel mining.
- Ban on new infrastructure to use fossil fuels (such investments are a waste of money).
- Phase out all use of fossil fuels by 2030.
- Phase out all industrial production of GHGs by 2035.
- Encourage local action at agency, business and community levels.
- Education program for awareness raising.
- Coordinate with other groups active on climate change.
- Support campaigns by other groups that focus on particular issues related to the climate issue (e.g. Adani mine/ Wallarah II Mine; health impacts, bushfire, flooding).
To keep up to date with Climate Future or to get involved visit https://climatefuture.org.au/
