Australia is one of the top 10 emitters per capita in the world, despite its relatively small population, due to its reliance on coal for energy. However, the Labor government took office in May, pledging to make changes.
This year, Australia is attempting to turn its reputation as a climate laggard into that of an environmental crusader.
Australia is now a party to the global accord to reduce methane gas emissions by 30%, having previously been seen as an outlier that refused to make any new commitments at COP26 in Glasgow last year.
Additionally, its new Labor government has pledged to transition to renewable energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 43 percent by 2030. Under the prior Liberal-National Coalition administration, the rate was 26%.
What a distinction a year makes!
Nicki Hutley of the Climate Council stated, “At the last COP conference, no commitments were made.
We had a low objective.
We were performing no actions.
Ms. Hutley, however, stated that since the election this year, Australia has “gone from an F to a B-plus.”
However, a grade of B is insufficient for flood survivors in the northern New South Wales city of Lismore.
This region’s towns and villages are situated on a floodplain. Locals are accustomed to flooding.
When the rain began in February and continued for days, no one anticipated the magnitude of this disaster.
A tremendous deluge, unlike anything they had ever experienced.
It was a tight escape for many.
Mark O’Toole, his son, and an elderly neighbor waited in a boat for nearly three days as the water raged.
When assistance eventually arrived, they climbed to the roof of O’Toole’s home and were winched aboard a military helicopter.
“I’ll never forget the incredible downforce when the chopper landed,” he told.
“It ripped the house’s roof off like a tremendous tsunami.
Tin fragments are everywhere.
The residence is located 24 meters above the river. Unbelievably, its height was insufficient to prevent it from being demolished by a wall of water.
He lost everything he owned.
“We have a gas-powered camping shower and a grill, but no flushing toilet. No fridge. It is revolting.”
Mr. O’Toole showed us his home’s basic, stripped-down interior.
“Our inability to sell our properties for anything prevents us from moving.
“We’re in a jam”
Adam Guise, a second survivor of a flood, attributes catastrophe after a disaster to climate change.
Mr. Guise, speaking from the balcony of his abandoned home, stated, “It has been destroyed by floods and bushfires, and it will continue to be ravaged by harsh weather until we act.”
This requires phasing out coal, keeping gas in the ground, and not exporting all of our coal overseas to fuel the climatic calamities of other nations.
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, global warming is 1.2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Australia, though, has already surpassed that. It’s at an alarming 1.4C.
Ms. Hutley said, “Australia is one of the top ten emitters per capita in the world, therefore we are rapidly extracting and exporting fossil fuels.
When Lismore flooded, the city’s main bridge collapsed, brown, murky water coursed through the streets, and thousands of residents were forced to flee their homes.
These scenes were regarded as apocalyptic, even though Australia is no stranger to natural calamities.
People wade through chest-high water while carrying their pets and belongings.
Locals of Lismore hijacked dozens of small boats known as “tinnies” to form a ragtag rescue squad.
The survivors became rescuers thereafter. People rescued one another.
Mr. O’Toole joined their ranks.
After escaping the flood, he launched a boat and spent days rescuing over twenty neighbors.
The Northern Rivers hinterland has developed into a full-fledged disaster zone.
Now, while world leaders dither and debate in Egypt about what action to take, the victims of climate change face the possibility of more rain, more floods, and a future that is increasingly uncertain.
Mr. O’Toole has lost faith.
While paddling his canoe down the river, he stated that the sound of rain fills him with fear.
He is concerned that the next megaflood is imminent.
“I’m uncomfortable and apprehensive about it. The community has suffered trauma. Psychological wellness has been neglected.”
