Media release – Tasmanian Climate Collective, 6 March 2024
Scorecard to help inform voters on candidates’ climate stance
The Tasmanian Climate Collective has produced a climate scorecard which ranks political parties and independent candidates on their willingness to take action on climate change.
Recent polling by Voices of Tasmania shows that climate change is the number one issue for Tasmanians. The Tasmanian Climate Collective wanted to make this scorecard to help voters identify candidates that represent their concerns the best.
The scorecard was based on a questionnaire that was sent to candidates and on the current policies of political parties. The Tasmanian Greens ranked the highest out of the parties, while Labor and Liberals had poor scoring. Jackie Lambie Network scored the lowest due to their lack of response to the questionnaire and having no policies on climate.
Many independent candidates also scored highly for their strong climate stance.
“Climate change is a big issue for every day Tasmanians, but we are not hearing much about it from candidates,” says Dr Jennifer Sanger from the Tasmanian Climate Collective. “Our scorecard will help voters get an understanding of which candidates will be strong on climate action.”
“Our next state government has an opportunity to make lutruwita/Tasmania a climate leader, both nationally and globally,” days Kai Harrison, from Australian Youth Climate Coalition. “We need to see all parties and independents step up with platforms that prioritise climate justice for all.
“We’re seeing the impacts of the climate crisis now, and we know that there is much worse to come if we continue to act as if all is fine. The solutions are there, we just need the political will to enact them. We call on all those elected to our next state parliament to act immediately and justly, to secure lutruwita/Tasmania’s place as a leader on climate justice.”
“As a doctor, I am fully aware that climate change is the biggest threat to our health,” says Dr Clare Smith, a GP and Tasmanian Climate Collective member. “Most Australians have now had a first hand experience of a climate-change fueled disaster with all its mental and physical health impacts.
“Costs are escalating relentlessly, and coming to an insurance policy at every address. We are facing a climate emergency, and we need action that is fast and fair. We want our vote to count where it matters most.”
Editor’s note – below is a slightly abridged version of the questionnaire sent to candidates. The web form was not easily adaptable for publication with our current format.
2024 Tasmanian State Election Questionnaire
Tasmanians are deeply concerned about our warming climate and want to know which candidates in Tasmanian State Election will support strong climate action if elected in 2024. The Tasmanian Climate Collective will be developing a Safe Climate Scorecard to assist voters on election day.
We request that you please answer the following questions about your party’s views (or as an independent) on climate issues affecting Tasmanians. Your response will be considered along with publicly available information from you or your party. Candidates will be assessed on their commitment to effective climate action, in line with the current best available science. Candidates will be scored either: ‘yes, committed’, ‘some initiative’ or ‘No, not committed’. We will offer a right of reply to candidates prior to publication of the scorecard.
About the Tasmanian Climate Collective
The Tasmanian Climate Collective is a non-partisan, passionate and committed collective of organisations and individuals from across Tasmanian standing together to demand Climate Action Now. We’re 100% run by volunteers and made up of people who care about the future of Tasmania.
Tasmania’s current greenhouse emissions targets are weak as they rely on the land sector to ‘offset’ emissions from other sectors. We need emissions targets for each sector. Will you support legislated targets and funding to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from each economic sector by at least 60% by 2030 (compared with 2005) and a 2050 target of near zero net emissions for each sector?
Will you support legislation that prevents any new gas, coal or oil developments, expansion or exploration in Tasmanian lands or waters?
Will you support incentives for solar, electrification and energy efficiencies? (various options)
Ending native forest logging in Tasmania is the single most effective climate action that the government could take. Do you support ending native forest logging?
Considering that expert scientific advice is to reduce, not offset emissions, do you reject Tasmanian forest carbon sinks being sold as offsets to the fossil fuel industry?
Considering that expert scientific advice is to reduce, not offset emissions, do you reject Tasmanian forest carbon sinks being sold as offsets to the fossil fuel industry? (various options)
Do you support an Independent Climate Change Commission to ensure transparent reporting and accountability?
Will you support legislation to require landlords to meet a minimum energy efficiency standard so tenants are protected from energy poverty?
Do you support all new buildings to have energy ratings of 7 or higher like the rest of Australia?
Will you ban new gas connections, and phase out existing gas and wood heaters to domestic housing?
Will you increase funding for the planning and management of extreme, climate change-related weather events, for example by increasing the state’s fire-fighting resources?
Do you support active restoration of the natural environment to restore carbon stocks?
Do you acknowledge the critical role that cultural knowledge of palawa communities must play in a sustainable and renewable approach to caring for country?
What other climate-related policies do you have that you would like to inform voters about? Please refer to our information sheet for more important policy suggestions.
Geoff Holloway
March 7, 2024 at 16:45
There are four key United Tasmania Group (UTG) principles for addressing climate change (from UTG Journal No.9, just released):
There is a great deal of well-intentioned and necessary protests and debates about climate change but they miss the key issues. These issues, from a UTG perspective, include four fundamental principles, which are being ignored by all political parties and action groups with respect to understanding the fundamental drivers/causes of climate change:
1) Attitudes to nature and the need to shift from anthropocentrism to ecocentrism and the idea that humanity has control over Nature.
2) World population is a key driver of resource use but this problem is not being discussed at all.
3) Growth economics – this dominates all capitalist & socialist societies and the mix between the two.
4) Attacks on science (which is based partly on postmodernism). The focus should be on evidence-based and science-based policies.
These four principles have always been fundamental to UTG’s philosophy and policies.
1. Attitudes to nature – ‘Are humans part of, or apart from, Nature?’. As Eileen Crist succinctly argues, humans are apart from nature, even though it is often said that ‘it is axiomatic that humans are part of nature’. There needs to be a shift in cultural attitudes to Nature that goes way beyond the utilitarian enjoyment, aesthetics and health benefits of nature. Anthropocentrism-ecocentrism is made up of a dynamic, multi-dimensional range of attitudes towards Nature – see Kaisa J. Raatikainen et el, 2024, for more details . Anthropocentric people typically view Nature as essential for human survival or for enjoyment, including for recreational and health benefits, none of which are ecocentric. Saul Latham’s article about migratory birds is an excellent example of anthropocentrism versus ecocentrism.
2. Population growth is driven by many factors, but the main one is the belief that humanity is superior to Nature – hence Principle 1. The simple, but unaccepted, fact is that the planet cannot sustain increasing demands on natural resources, increasing pollution and reductions in biodiversity – which are all driven by increasing populations.
3. Growth economics is shifting to a new stage. Techno-greens (who suggest that electric vehicles can be the saviour of the planet) and greenwashing are the main components of this absurdity. See the article ‘Entropy & steady-state economics – why is this being ignored?’ in this journal. Also, as argued in Kevin Kiernan’s article, climate change is being ‘weaponised’ to create even more environmental dilemmas – in effect, greenwashing.
4. Attack on science – apart from the attack on science by climate change sceptics, the classic example of this is illustrated by the transgender lobby that supports transgendering children and adolescents, despite medical science and international inquiries demonstrating the incredible (iatrogenic) harm being caused by the ‘affirmation model’. Australia still refuses to conduct a national inquiry.
Greenwashing is a common theme among the articles (especially articles by Saul Latham and Kevin Kiernan). Part of Kiernan’s article brings UTG back full circle to its origins with the flooding of Lake Pedder in Tasmania in 1972. Kevin’s article also looks at the threat to the Nullarbor – all in the name of falsely claiming to address climate change – while ignoring the environmental costs. Another example is the absurdly expensive attempt to create another electricity link with mainland Australia.
To bring about changes in policies of all political parties there needs to be processes for democratic participation within those parties – hence the brief article in this journal about UTG’s democratic membership and governance structure.
See https://www.researchgate.net/publication/378291701_UTG_Journal_No9_digital