What kind of legacy will we leave?

Sunshine Coast Council has made a great start with its solar farm at Valdora.

Emissions are seen from a factory at Broadwater in far northern New South Wales. Picture: DAVE HUNT

SINCE the Coalition has been returned with their lack of real commitment for action on climate change it will be up to other levels of government to act.

It seems four of our capital cities' administrations are already leading the way.

According to a report (Daily, May 27), "Adelaide, Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney were named among 43 cities out of a list of 596 worldwide to make the A-list for taking action to cut emissions and set climate change strategies in a new international comparison”.

Sunshine Coast Council has made a great start with its solar farm at Valdora.

Early this month, Britain declared a national climate emergency with MPs calling on the government to set a target of reaching net zero emissions before 2050.

This is in keeping with the latest climate science from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change calling on the world to keep global temperatures within 1.5C by aiming for zero emissions by 2050.

Australia will have trouble reaching that goal with the current government's weak target of 26 per cent reduction by 2030. To comply with the Paris Agreement, they rather deviously plan to use an accounting trick of carry over credits from the Tokyo commitment which no other country is doing.

Time is running out, we must address global warming now, to not do so will be much more costly in the future should we have to take radical action to cut our carbon pollution urgently to maintain a sustainable environment for humans and other species.

What sort of legacy are we leaving our grandchildren?

ROBYN DEANE

Bli Bli

Originally published as What kind of legacy will we leave?