16 January 2020
Adaptation and resilience no longer enough say farmers
The Federal Government is putting Australia’s economic and food security at risk if it continues to ignore science, farmers say as a new report finds 2010s the world’s hottest decade on record.
Farmers for Climate Action Deputy Chair and Crookwell sheep producer Charlie Prell said: “We’re facing unprecedented heatwaves, unprecedented fires and, given our current trajectory, another unprecedented decade of extreme weather events.
“The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and NASA – the world’s leading science bodies – are telling us what farmers already know. Our world is not only warming at an unprecedented rate and this is directly related to increasing greenhouse gas emissions.
“The government is finally starting to acknowledge the reality of climate change and to talk about resilience and adaptation. That’s great but we also need our political leaders to recognise that we can only adapt so far. We’re at 1 degree warming already and our capital cities are selling out of breathing masks. How will we breathe, let alone farm, at 4 degrees warming?
“We strongly support the moderate voices across all sides of politics who are backing science-based policy and an increase in action on climate change.”
Farmers for Climate Action supporter and founder of Houston’s Farm, which supplies vegetables to supermarkets across Australia, Anthony Houston said: “The government’s language shift is important but we have to face the facts.
“This report from NASA and NOAA is just the latest in a long line of warnings we’ve had that not only is global warming happening, it’s picking up pace.
“This government says it cares about Australia’s financial stability, and we can now see the world’s leading investors sounding the alarm on climate risk. Without real action to cut emissions this situation is going to get much, much worse.
“The current fire situation is just a taste of what’s to come, if we stay on our current emissions trajectory.
“The Federal Government has to move, and move fast.”
Farmers for Climate Action is a movement of around farmers, agricultural leaders and rural Australians working to ensure that farmers, who are on the frontlines of climate change, are a key part of its solution.
To read the NOAA and NASA statement go to: https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-noaa-analyses-reveal-2019-second-warmest-year-on-record
ENDS
Media contact: Fiona Davis, 0434 505 188, [email protected]
Interviews with Charlie, Anthony and other farmers across Australia available
