Hundreds of school students gathered outside the Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s official residence on Friday demanding the government to take stronger actions on the issue of climate change.
The activists, outside the Kirribilli House, waved banners and placards that read “Don’t be a fossil fuel” to mark their protest against Scott Morison’s support for coal. The gathering had hundreds of school students as well as indigenous Australians as part of a global protest, as they termed it.
Climate change is an emotional and sensitive political issue in Australia. On the other hand, Australia is also a major producer of coal and has long been criticised for being one of the top carbon emitters in the world on a per capita basis.
Australia has pledged net zero carbon emissions target by 2050 but activists say that date is too distant.
Australia suffered one of its worst on record bushfire seasons in the Black Summer fires of 2019-2020. The country recently went through a two-week rain and heavy floods that killed over 20 people and swept cars off the roads.
Morrison, who is facing a general election within weeks, said that it is not just about bringing down the carbon emissions, but we’ve to deal with the already built-up and existing impacts of climate change. The impacts of weather events are the outcome of the activities that have been going on for past several decades. “We have to build up our resilience and adaptation,” said Morrison.
Climate experts have said that the recent Australian flood was linked to an extended La Niña weather pattern.
A royal commission investigating the 2019 and 2020 bushfires blamed the climate change and warned that extreme weather may become more frequent and devastating due to the global warming.
Morrison has assured to support the coal mines as long as they are financially feasible, asserting that coal is important for the country’s resource-rich economy and is necessary to provide affordable power.
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