Australia’s parliament and the prime minister’s residence were vandalized on Tuesday morning with (9) messages accusing the government of not doing enough to protect the country from the devastating effects of the climate crisis.
Photos of the Australian capital Canberra with a “duty of care” message and the logo of the Extinction Rebellion protest movement are spray-painted at the entrance to Parliament and on the walls of the lodge, the official residence of Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
Extinction Rebellion is a protest group that advocates for public disobedience and demonstrations to raise awareness of the climate crisis.
According to a statement from Australian Capital Territory Police, eight people were arrested this morning for material damage near two buildings, some of whom clung to the ground and set a baby car on fire.
This came after the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a new report showing that the world was 1.1°C warmer than pre-industrial levels and on track to reach 1.5°C.
The report concluded that it is “obvious” that humans have caused the climate crisis and confirms that “widespread and rapid changes” have already occurred, some of them irreversible. Only by making deep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions while removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere can the world stop this accelerating trend.
According to the report, Australia can especially expect to see drought and greater number of cyclones in the north-east of the country along with an increase in the fire season across the country.
In July, the Great Barrier Reef saved its unique natural beauty from “endangered” classification by UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee due to ongoing climate change-related damage.
The Australian government has been regularly criticized by local environmental leaders and international organisations, for what is perceived as a lack of action to reduce global warming emissions.
While the United States, China and the European Union have promised to achieve zero net emissions by 2050, Australia has yet to make a similar promise despite its relatively small population, thanks to the country’s highly valuable trade in resources such as coal and iron. reason. ore
Australia is also heavily dependent on carbon emissions for electricity generation – a November 2020 report concluded that Australia’s per capita emissions were three times higher than the OECD average.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison described the vandalism as “selfish” and “stupid”.
“Those who commit these crimes in our capital today will be dealt with as they should,” he said, reiterating that his government had “a plan” to reduce Australia’s climate change emissions, but Refused to commit to a “net zero” goal. in 2050.
