Contributed by Jim Hayes
Prime minister Scott Morrison insisted at the United Nations last week, that Australia is on track to meet the Paris agreement commitments on global warming. Nobody believed him. The data clearly shows that emissions are going up.
The abysmal failure in front of the obvious, is even causing cracks in the ranks of the more conservative part of Australian society. Malcolm Turnbull gives him a public tongue lashing; he gives voice to this rift.
Australia is not the only nation experiencing this colossal failure of political leadership. Those who have promised much more and delivered so little are also seen as part of the problem.
Failure to deal with the reality of the climate emergency is fueling a fast-growing global movement, of which the Climate school strikers, and Extinction Rebellion are important parts.
This week of action across Australia is also happening in more than 60 other countries, in some of them for two weeks, and this is but a foretaste of what is yet to come, as more citizens, young and older, are drawn into the realisation that it is up to them to make the difference, and that leaving it to failed political leadership is the road to disaster.
The following clip from Democracy Now provides a glimpse of Extinction Rebellion’s actions in cities in some of the countries.
Video from Democracy Now!
More from The Guardian
Video from Guardian News
It has been happening in Canada too.
Video by Global News
In New Zealand and Australia
Video from Guardian News Guardian News
WE KEEP FIGHTING – THANK YOU ALL FOR ALL YOU DO FOR OUR MOTHER EARTH – SHUT DOWN THE GREED MACHINE –
As unpopular as this comment is going to be, the gov has known for 20years that the only way they can meet the goals is buy turning off coal power plants. Now recent blackouts have shown that solar n wind can’t cut it.
That leaves us with nuclear power which the Australian people detest.
So I suspect they are dragging their feet waiting for a better option to be developed.