The Hon. Scott Morrison MP Prime Minister of Australia Parliament House Canberra ACT 2600 1 November, 2020 Dear Prime Minister
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The Hon. Scott Morrison MP Prime Minister of Australia Parliament House Canberra ACT 2600 1 November, 2020 Dear Prime Minister, We write to express our professional concern about the ramifications of the failure of the Hon Angus Taylor MP to fulfil his responsibilities of the office of the Minister for Emissions Reduction. We are health professionals and organisations bearing witness to the harm Mr Taylor’s failure to reduce emissions is causing to the health of Australians. We are also united by our concern about the climate crisis and the impact it is having on the safety and wellbeing of Australians and our neighbours. Public health is inextricably linked to climate health. Climate damage is here now — and it is killing people. In failing in his responsibilities to reduce emissions, Mr Taylor is contributing towards rather than reducing the harm the following is now causing: There is already a noticeable impact from increased frequency and intensity of bushfires, floods, dust storms, drought and extreme heat, biodiversity decline, and over-allocation, reduced quality and increased salinisation of freshwater in Australia.i As a result, Australians are already seeing higher rates of respiratory illness,ii diarrhoeaiii and morbidity requiring hospital admissioniv during hot days, and higher rates of suicide in rural areas during drought years. 1 The burning of fossil fuels such as coal and gas that drives global warming is also a major contributor to air pollution - this silent killer is linked to the premature deaths of 3,000 Australians each year. Higher levels of air pollution are also associated with increasing illness and death related to ischaemic heart disease, chronic obstructive airways disease, lung cancer and asthma,v, vi and also with adverse outcomes in pregnancy, including low birthweight and stillbirth.vii The annual cost to Australia from air pollution mortality alone is estimated to be $11.1- $24.3 billion.viii Mr Taylor is failing in his ministerial duties in three critical ways: 1. Mr Taylor continues to allocate public money to gas and other polluting fossil fuel projects while overseeing a nationwide 50% decline in large-scale renewables investment from a record high in financial year 2018-19. This sharp decline in investor confidence is largely due to the lack of coherent energy policy with targets to reduce emissions, and a failure to invest in upgrading transmission infrastructure to enable more renewable energy to connect to the national grid. Mr Taylor’s Low Emissions Technology Statement and Technology Investment Roadmap proposes providing public money to fossil fuel projects, including hydrogen from gas or coal and unproven carbon capture and storage (CCS). Mr Taylor is moving to amend the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) Act to corrupt the clean energy mandate of Australia’s highly successful public ‘green bank’, change the definition of ‘low emissions’, and enable the CEFC to invest in new polluting gas projects. Under the changes, the Underwriting New Generation Investment scheme - including five short-listed gas projects - would be transferred to the CEFC. 2 2. Mr Taylor is failing to reduce Australia’s emissions in line with our international obligations. Your government’s own projections show that Australia will not achieve its current emissions reduction targets of 26-28% below 2005 levels without further action[ix]. Australia needs to cut emissions further to play our part in holding warming well below 2°C and limiting it to 1.5°C. Under Mr Taylor’s watch, there are no federal government targets or policies under which Australia’s emissions would be substantially reduced. There is no national strategy to transition Australia to a zero emissions economy that is able to create jobs, attract investment and generate opportunities in line with our commitments under the Paris Agreement. 3. Mr Taylor has failed to commit Australia to a 2050 net zero emissions target, isolating the federal government from its state counterparts, business, farmers, and civil society and Australia from the international community. Every Australian state and territory government, major business and industry group, major civil society group and the national farmers’ body has committed to a net zero by 2050 target in line with the Paris Agreement. Under Mr Taylor’s watch, the federal government now stands alone in refusing to commit to this target. The lack of a target contributes to investment uncertainty. Mr Taylor has overseen Australia’s use of ‘carryover credits’, a controversial accounting trick, at the 25th Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC (CoP25) in Madrid. This significantly erodes Australia’s credibility in global efforts to tackle climate change. Our recovery from the impacts of Covid-19 must recognise that human health, economic health and environmental health are closely connected. The pandemic compels us to pursue a recovery that strengthens our resilience to future shocks; to our collective health, to economic frailties and to extremes of weather. 3 This is a crucial time for Australia and the planet in addressing the climate crisis. Australia has one of the largest greenhouse gas emissions and highest per capita emissions in the world. Australia is one of the largest exporters of coal and gas. We urge you to immediately take meaningful action to reduce emissions and tackle climate change, and replace Angus Taylor with a Minister who is committed to this goal. Sincerely, Australian Conservation Foundation, Carlton (Vic) Dr Sachin Kulkarni , BOHDSc BOHDSc(Hons) GradDipDent MANZAOP, Berri (SA) Dr Michelle Hamrosi , BioMedSci (Hons) MBBS FRACGP DCH IBCLC, Surf Beach (NSW) Dr Alice Stoneman, BMedSci (Hons) MBBS FRACGP, Hobart (TAS) Dr Tracey Tay, BMed FANZCA MHPol, Newcastle (NSW) Fiona Armstrong, BN, GradDipJourn, MPPP, FCPD, North Fitzroy (Vic) Dr Nurman Noor, MBBS, DCH, FRACGP, Cygnet (Tas) Dr Suzi Riess, MBBS (Hons), BMedSc (Hons), FRACP (Paed), Melbourne (Vic) Dr Cheryl Choong, MBBS BSC DCH MMED FRACGP FACRRM, Caloundra (QLD) Dr Rebecca Pogson , BMBS, FRACGP, Adv dip Obs, Perth (WA) Dr Luke Mitchell, MBBS FACRRM JCCA BSc(BioMed), Moruya (NSW) A/Prof Tilman Ruff AO, MB, BS (Hons), FRACP, Melbourne (Vic) Associate Professor Vicki Kotsirilos AM, MBBS, FRACGP, FACNEM, FASLM 4 Associate Professor David Harley, BSc MBBS PhD FAFPHM (RACP) MMedSc MRACGP FACTM Dr Tod Eggleton, MB BS, FANZCA, Newcastle (NSW) Dr Mark Russell, BSc(Anat) MBBS, Sydney (NSW) Dr Lee Zimmer, BSc(Phys Pharm), BMBS, FANZCA, Gosford (NSW) Dr Margaret Sheridan, MBBS (Syd) DPM, RSC&P (Lond] FRANZCP Sydney (NSW) Dr Ruth Mitchell, BA BSc BMBS MAICD FRACS FFSTEd, Melbourne (Vic) Dr Mariam Tokhi, MBBS, MPH, DRANZCOG, FRACGP, Melbourne (Vic) Dr Julia Dubowitz, MBBS FANZCA, Melbourne (Vic) Dr Marnie Slonim, MBBS, DRANZCOG, DCH, Melbourne (Vic) Dr Candice Peters, BSpPath, MBBS, Gr Cert Clin Teaching, FANZCA, Newcastle (NSW) Dr Jessica Tidemann. BA MBBS FRACGP, Canberra (ACT) Dr Jennifer Jamieson, BBiomedSc, MBBS, MPHTM, MClinMed (Trauma), FACEM, Melbourne (VIC) Dr Lauren Giles, MBBS (Hons) FRACP, Launceston (TAS) Dr Jessica Hegedus, BA (psych), MBBS, FANZCA, Wollongong (NSW) Dr Mark Ashton, MBBS Dip Ed BA, Surf Beach (NSW) Dr Melissa Renzenbrink, MBBS MMed(Psychiatry), Sydney (NSW) 5 Dr Zoe Woodward, MBChB, FRACP, Darwin (NT) Dr Andrew Lovett B. Med Sci, MBBS, Grad Cert Clinical education , FANZCA Newcastle (NSW) Dr Jessica Kneebone, MBBS (Hons), FRACGP, MPH, DRANZCOG, Hobart (TAS) Dr Tom Clemens BMedSc, BA, MBBS, FRACP, MPH, Hobart (TAS) Dr Sarahn Lovett B. Med Sci, MBBS (Hons), FRACP, Dip Clinical education, Newcastle (NSW) Judy Christian, Psychologist B.Social Studies, M.A.(Psych), MAPS. Castle Hill (NSW) C. Jeffery, PBT, BHSc, Ambulance Paramedic, (VIC) Dr Kim Loo, MBBS (SydU) FRACGP.DipPaed (UNSW) Dr Elizabeth Freihaut, BMed, FANZCA, Newcastle, (NSW) Dr Ying Zhi Gu, MBBS BMedSc FRANZCOG DDU. Melbourne (VIC) Dr Jane Carter, MBBS BMedSci DTMH FANZCA, Melbourne (VIC) Dr Russell Gear, MBChB, Melbourne (VIC) Dr Elizabeth Kaiko, BMed. Newcastle (NSW) Dr Gavin Sullivan MbBch FRCA FANZCA Newcastle (NSW) Dr Jeet George MBBS, MRCGP, FRACGP, JCCA. Batemans Bay, (NSW) A/Prof. Laurence Clemens MBBS FRACP Melbourne (VIC) 6 Dr Emily Isham, MBBS BMedSci, FRACGP, DRANZCOG, MIPH, Kingston (TAS) Dr Peter Armstrong MBBS FANZCA Newcastle (NSW) Dr Peter Allsop BMed FRACGP FANZCA Newcastle (NSW) Dr Amita Roy MBBS BMedsci. Melbourne, (VIC) Dr Andrew Baade FRACGP, MBBS, BSc, BMSc, Yungaburra (QLD) S. Hollo, BHSc, Ambulance Paramedic, (VIC) Dr Stacey Swinkels BHSc MBBS(Hons) FANZCA MMed Sunshine Coast (QLD) Dr Clare Morgan MBBS (QLD) Dr Rebecca Taylor FRACP MBBS (Hons), BSc (Hons), GCert Epic Dr Maie Walsh FRACP, MBBS Melbourne (VIC) M.Hollo, BHSc Health Science, Masters Occupational therapist, Melbourne (VIC) Dr James Phillips MBBS, BMedSci, Brisbane (QLD) Mrs Shannon Waters MComp BSc, Adelaide (SA) Dr Catherine Ashton MBBS (Hons), Perth (WA) Dr Nick Douglas FRACP DPhil, Darwin NT Dr. YiZhong Zhuang BSc BMBS(Hons) FRACP, Glandore (SA) Dr Melissa Witt BSc (Hons) BMBS (Hons), Glandore (SA) 7 Dr Charmaine Hammond MBBS (Hons), Bairnsdale (VIC) Dr Raja Sengupta MBBS FRACGP Sunshine Coast (QLD) Dr Joyita Bhattacharya MBBS FRACP, Sunshine Coast (QLD) Dr Beatrice Sgro, BMBS FRACGP, Melbourne (VIC) Dr Luke Timmermans MBBS MPHTM Dr Sarah Cush MBBS, FRACGP Melbourne (VIC) Dr Kristen Hoy BMed (Hon) FRACGP MSpMd, Coffs Harbour (NSW) Dr Rob Eisenberg MBBS FRACS Newcastle (NSW) Dr Emily Walker BSc (Adv) MBBS, Lismore (NSW) Dr Angela Wang BA, MBBS, DCH, FRACGP (QLD) Dr Alicia Steller BMed BMedSc(Hons), Central Coast (NSW) Dr Verity Robin MBBS BSc Med Grad Dip Paeds (UNSW) FRACGP, Hobart (TAS) Dr Marjia Johns MBBS Dip Child Health, Sydney (NSW) Dr Melissa Rogers MD MPH Grad Dip PHC BPhty, Adelaide (SA) Dr Daniel Orr BMedSci, MBBS (Hons), FANZCA, Newcastle (NSW) Dr Adrian Gilliland, MBChB, PG Dip Child Health, FRACGP, GAICD, Coffs Harbour (NSW) Dr Grace Neely, FACRRM, DRANZCOG Adv, MBBS, BMedSci. Kingaroy (QLD). 8 Dr James Read MBBS FRACGP MPH FACNEM Bondi Junction (NSW) Dr Julie Blake BSc MBBS FRACGP.