2015-9-17 Open Letter to PM Malcolm Turnbull re GHG pollution
Dear Prime Minister,
The Coalition policies of 26-28% off 2005 greenhouse gas (GHG) pollution by 2030 and unlimited GHG exports mean that Australia’s Domestic plus Exported GHG pollution will increase, not decrease (climate change inaction) [1-4].
Assuming a damage-related Carbon Price of US$200 per tonne CO2-equivalent, the inescapable Carbon Debt for Australia is US$11 trillion and increasing at US$600 billion per year and at US$60,000 per head per year for under-30 year old Australians [5, 6].
83,000 Australians die preventably each year and of these 10,000 die from carbon fuel burning pollutants. Globally, 7 million people die from air pollution each year (WHO) and 75,000 of these die from burning of exported Australian coal [7, 8].
Australia’s unlimited coal, gas and iron ore exports will see Australia exceed by a factor of three (3) the whole world's Terminal Carbon Budget that must not be exceeded if the world is to have a 75% chance of avoiding a catastrophic 2 degrees Centigrade temperature rise, noting that Australia exceeded its fair share of this budget in 2011 [9, 10].
With 0.3% of world population, Australia is responsible via its huge Domestic and Exported GHG pollution for 3% of global GHG pollution (per capita 89 times bigger than Bangladesh’s) [11, 12].
Yours sincerely,
Dr Gideon Polya (300.org;[contact details] ).
[1]. “2011 climate change course”: https://sites.google.com/site/300orgsite/2011-climate-change-course .
[2]. "Climate Revolution Now": https://sites.google.com/site/300orgsite/climate-revolution .
[3]. “Cut carbon emissions 80% by 2020”: https://sites.google.com/site/cutcarbonemissions80by2020/ .
[4]. “100% renewable energy by 2020”: https://sites.google.com/site/100renewableenergyby2020/ .
[5]. Dr Chris Hope, “How high should climate change taxes be?”, Working Paper Series, Judge Business School, University of Cambridge, 9.2011: http://www.jbs.cam.ac.uk/media/assets/wp1109.pdf .
[6]. “Carbon Debt Carbon Credit”: https://sites.google.com/site/carbondebtcarboncredit/ .
[7]. Gideon Polya, “Australian State Terrorism - Zero Australian Terrorism Deaths, 1 Million Preventable Australian Deaths & 10 Million Muslims Killed By US Alliance Since 9-11”, Countercurrents, 23 September, 2014: http://www.countercurrents.org/polya230914.htm .
[8]. “Stop air pollution deaths”: https://sites.google.com/site/300orgsite/stop-air-pollution-deaths .
[9]. Gideon Polya, “Australia 's Huge Coal, Gas & Iron Ore Exports Threaten Planet”, Countercurrents, 15 May 2012: http://www.countercurrents.org/polya150512.htm .
[10]. “Climate Genocide”: https://sites.google.com/site/climategenocide/ .
[11]. Gideon Polya, “25 Ways World-Leading Climate Criminal Australia Threatens Planet And Invites Boycotts, Divestment & Sanctions (BDS)”, Countercurrents, 6 June, 2015: http://www.countercurrents.org/polya060615.htm .
[12]. “Stop climate crime”: https://sites.google.com/site/300orgsite/stop-climate-crime .