Today, Territory environment groups released a scorecard ranking the Gunner Government’s performance on climate action.
The grading given is based on the recommendations of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
The scorecard ranks the NT Government’s climate performance as 5/100 for 2020-21, indicating a ‘fail’ result.
According to IPCC recommendations for keeping global warming below 1.5 degrees, the only progress made by the NT Government has been identifying an emissions reduction target and publishing climate information on its website.
A lack of legislated, interim emission reduction targets and continued support for the fossil fuel industry contributed to the government’s low score.
The score is based on publicly available information.
The government was invited to have input on the scorecard, but no response was received.
The scorecard has been released on behalf of a number of Territory environmental and community organisations, including Climate Action Darwin, the Environment Centre NT, the Northern Territory Council of Social Services, Arid Lands Environment Centre, Central Australian Frack Free Alliance and the Housing for Health Incubator.
Charlie Ward, convenor of Climate Action Darwin said: “Everyone in the Territory knows that the climate is getting hotter.
Tragically, to dater the Gunner Government has achieved little when it comes to meaningful action on climate change.
Instead of reducing our emissions, Michael Gunner is intending to give the NT the highest per capita emissions in the world.
We’ve been given a few disconnected solar farms, but behind the scenes the NTG is bending over backwards to prop up the dying fossil fuel industry.
That Michael Gunner is doing Scott Morrison’s bidding for the gas industry as the climate crisis intensifies is deeply alarming and an international embarrassment.
Territorians are cooking already.
We have initiated this scorecard using IPCC recommendations to cut through the greenwash and hold the Gunner Government to account on climate change”.
Shar Molloy, Co-Director of the Environment Centre NT said: “It is clear that pushing forward with new gas projects is incompatible with the Territory Government’s own emissions reduction goals, but more importantly, it is entirely incompatible with what we need for a safe and liveable Territory.
We are being hurtled towards climate catastrophe, extreme weather events, and hotter temperatures by a Government who aren’t taking their commitments seriously.
Here in the Territory, we have an abundance of solar resources that we could be harnessing, yet the NTG seem intent on following the gas industry down the garden path.
But Territorians are refusing to go with them.
We want long-term, sustainable jobs, not support for a dying industry.”
