ELLEN: Save Our Snow Season
The Victorian Greens are appealing to the Andrews Government to recognise the link between fossil fuels and climate change, and take urgent measures to protect the state's environment.
Reports today state Victoria's snow season will be a thing of the past in our lifetime, bushfires will be more common, and rare plants and animals will be put under even more stress or lost all together.
Just this year, the Andrews Government has committed to several projects that will extract more fossil fuels from the ground, accelerating climate change. These include giving the greenlight for more gas exploration and a hairbrain skeme to convert brown coal into hydrogen.
It's clear these projects are bad for the environment, a waste of public money and come at the cost of the renewable industry that could be providing a much larger percentage of the state's energy if there was a genuine commitment to move away from fossil fuels.
The Victorian Greens are calling for an indefinite extension on the onshore gas moratorium, no new offshore gas exploration and a genuine plan to get out of coal. Victoria's brown coal is one of the dirtiest pollutants.
Quotes attributable to Victorian Greens spokesperson for energy and climate change, Ellen Sandell.
"Energy minister Lily D'Ambrosio admits Climate Change is happening, yet her Government is totally committed to burning even more fossil fuels. It's as if Labor doesn't understand the connection between climate change and emissions from burning fossil fuels.
"Now is the time to act if we want to protect the Victoria we know and love. If we don't, future generations will never see the snow capped mountains of our Alpine region, let alone ski on the them.
"Victoria can lead the country on renewable energy, we have the natural resources and the technology. All we need is the political will."
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Media Contact: Nick Gibbs 0491 012 791