Scientists say Australian green efforts inadequate

A group of climate scientists said during an Australian parliamentary inquiry that the government’s planned climate change policies are not enough to avoid dangerous climate change. There are two parliamentary inquiries, the first will set up by the Government and the second was established through the unlikely pairing of the Greens and the Coalition. The group said a cut of 30% by 2020 and not 5 to 15% as the Federal Government plans is the minimum required. Meanwhile, opinions of climate scientists vary. Most of them thought that an emissions reduction for Australia of 60% to 90% by 2050 is very low as well as the cut of 5 to 15% by 2020 aren’t enough. Dr Graeme Pearman, a former director of the CSIRO’s climate change division, said that they need at least a 30% reduction by 2020 that shows the urgency of the issue. However, two scientists that Professor David Karoly said to be minority scientists in Australia told the inquiry there is no evidence to suggest that global warming is caused by human activity and that experts are unnecessarily scaring the world’s population into acting. Environmental geologist Professor Bob Carter also said people have to adapt to dangerous climate events instead of aiming to stop these changesClimate Change Minister Penny Wong reacted to the criticisms by saying, “We are putting forward a scheme that will have targets which will see a substantial reduction into the future in Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions.” (April 15, 2009)