watch 7.30 report tonight ..., page-16

re: very interesting uranium chart Top story on Ninemsn at the moment. Very relevant to the U debate

Severe climate change to hit in 30 years
19:52 AEST Tue Jul 26 2005
AAP
The federal government has warned Australians to be prepared for severe effects of climate change within 30 years.

Environment Minister Ian Campbell urged governments, industry and communities to start thinking strategically on ways to prepare for the impact.

A government-commissioned report, entitled Climate Change Risks and Vulnerability, said climate change was inevitable and Australia should expect higher temperatures, more droughts, severe cyclones and storm surges.

The report stated climate change would affect Australia's native flora and fauna, damage urban areas and pose a threat to agriculture even without further greenhouse emissions.

Senator Campbell said it was becoming obvious there was human-induced climate change from greenhouse gas emissions.

But he cautioned against alarm.

"It could be painted as alarming but the reality is that these changes will happen over time," he said.

"They are talking about a 30-50 year time span.

"What we need to know as a nation, what the state governments need to know, what the emergency services need to know, town planners need to know, is where are these risks the most likely to occur in the short term."

Senator Campbell said the report was telling Australians that some degree of climate change was inevitable.

"We know that our climate is already highly variable, making us vulnerable to future climate change caused by global greenhouse emissions," he said.

"We need look no further than the economic and social impacts of prolonged periods of drought to understand the importance of climate."

Opposition environment spokesman Anthony Albanese called on the government to ratify Kyoto or risk being responsible for an environmental tsunami.

The government has persistently refused to sign the Kyoto Protocol, a global agreement to begin reducing emissions and introduce broad carbon trading schemes.

"It's one thing to say it's not a cause for alarm, it is another thing to say it's not a cause for action," Mr Albanese said.

"What this report and other reports show is that the world is headed for an environmental tsunami.

"Australia needs to be part of the international efforts to combat dangerous climate change, we need to ratify the Kyoto protocol, we need to increase our mandatory renewable energy targets and we should have a national emissions trading scheme."

Australian Greens senator Bob Brown said he had spent 10 years in federal parliament pursuing the government over action on climate change.

The government had supported the coal industry ahead of an obligation to secure the next generation's life security, he said.

"If the Howard government doesn't care about the next generation of Australians or says `we can relax, this is 20, 30, 50 years away', what sort of vision for Australia is that?" Senator Brown said.

He called for an immediate national action plan involving cutting of fossil fuel burning by 30 per cent, a carbon tax and a national solar and renewable energy fund.

Greenpeace energy campaigner Catherine Fitzpatrick accused the government of issuing a stream of reports intended to delay action on climate change, instead of taking immediate action to deal with it.