1 February 2005
ATTENTION: Political, Resource and Environment Reporters
Scientists Warnings Call for National Summit on Climate Change
The Conservation Council of South Australia, in conjunction with the Australian Conservation Foundation, has backed Premier Ranns call for an urgent national summit on Climate Change. This call comes as the worlds leading climate scientists get set to release the latest alarming research on the impact of climate change.
The Avoiding Dangerous Climate Change conference was announced last year by UK Prime Minister Tony Blair to inform this years G8 discussions on climate change and is taking place just two weeks before the Kyoto Protocol will become international law on February 16th.
The conference will canvass some of the anticipated impacts of climate change and highlight the need for urgent national and global action.
CCSA and ACF welcome Premier Ranns leadership on this issue, and have called on other State Premiers and the Prime Minister to support a summit.
For South Australia the effects of Climate Change will be wide ranging. An altered climate will make our state hotter and drier with more extreme weather events. It will put our ecosystems, our rural communities, our lifestyle and our health at risk. said Catherine Way , Campaign Coordinator of CCSA.
Catastrophic bushfires, as we have experienced recently on Eyre Peninsula , are the types of events likely to become more frequent under a changing climate.
Warnings from the worlds leading scientists highlight the need for decisive action, said Erwin Jackson from ACF, Now is the time for John Howard to get behind Mike Rann, show national leadership and hold a national summit.
To tackle this enormous challenge we need to unlock the power of Australia s innovative spirit and drive new markets in energy efficiency and clean renewable energy. This is a global problem that deserves national attention from all political leaders, Jackson said.
Media Contact: Catherine Way (CCSA) 0411 028 930 or Erwin Jackson (ACF) O408 806 206
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Note to Reporters:
Details about the Avoiding Dangerous Climate Change conference can be found at:
http://www.stabilisation2005.com/index.html
Some of the key results that will be presented at the conference include:
