Protesters call for larger carbon cuts

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Hundreds of people have surrounded Parliament House in Canberra to protest against the Rudd government’s planned carbon emissions reduction target.

The protest follows a weekend summit, attended by 500 representatives of 140 community climate action groups, which formulated a set of objectives to pressure the government.

The groups say the government’s target to reduce emissions by between five and 15 per cent by 2020 is too low.

Up to 1,200 protesters, most dressed in red and carrying banners and placards, chanted “five per cent is not enough”, and “climate justice now”.

They joined hands to form a ring around Parliament House.

The protesters are demanding the government set a 100 per cent target for renewable energy.

“This is the type of leadership we need to become global leaders on climate change,” summit organiser Naomi Hodgson told reporters.

The government’s planned scheme, due to start up in July 2010, did not go far enough.

“We think that it will side with polluting industries, disempower the people and do nothing to solve the climate crisis,” Ms Hodgson said.

Academic Clive Hamilton said heatwave conditions across southeastern Australia in the past week were a foretaste of things to come if the government did not act now.

“Forty (degrees) is the new 30,” he told reporters, adding many people were deeply concerned the government’s planned scheme would do nothing serious to reduce Australia’s emissions.

Greens senator Christine Milne said the government should be addressing climate change with the same urgency it had for the economic crisis.

“If we were to use the stimulatory packages now to restructure the economy to deal with climate change and peak oil, then we would be using it to create jobs and prepare for the future,” she told reporters.
AAP