NSW Greens Call for Stern Response

The massive implications of the Stern Report must surely, finally, rouse the NSW Government to take genuine and effective action to deal with the problem of climate change, said NSW Upper House Greens MP Ian Cohen.

“No longer can governments anywhere pretend that this is a peripheral problem, or one that can be waved away with compromised half measures,” said Mr Cohen.

“The Greens and the environment movement in general have been clearly outlining the consequences of inaction for many years now. Our record on this issue is proven and consistent.

“The major parties cannot continue to offer up the lie that confronting the problem might hurt the economy. Sir Nicholas Stern’s report estimates that nine trillion dollars is the global economic cost of doing nothing. Perhaps the language of dollars and cents, the only language these people speak, will rouse them to action in a way any number of environmental disaster scenarios cannot.

“When NSW Parliament sits in a fortnight the Greens will be asking NSW treasurer Michael Costa yet again what he intends to do about climate change. Only last week he continued to scoff at the issue, ignoring talk of renewable energy and promoting the virtues of coal fired power stations.

“When he responds the people of NSW will not want the sarcasm and petty political point scoring that has comprised his pitiful contribution to this debate so far. They will be demanding a visionary and mature solution to a problem that clearly threatens the economy for which he is responsible.

“Tony Blair claims that this is the most important report he has ever seen in his time as British Prime Minister. We can only hope that Morris Iemma and Michael Costa feel the same way,” Mr Cohen said.