Joint statement urges climate action

MORE than a score of former emergency services chiefs from across Australia have urged stronger action on climate change, warning that worsening extreme weather is threatening Australian lives.

Former Victorian Emergency Management Commissioner Craig Lapsley and former Forest Fire Management Victoria chief fire officer Ewan Walle are among the 23 signatories in the “Emergency Leaders for Fire Action” group that have issued the joint statement.

“I’ve seen scores of bushfires, including Ash Wednesday and Black Saturday. Such extreme events are clearly becoming more intense and frequent, and they’re devastating communities and exhausting our firefighters,” former CFA chief executive officer Neil Bibby said.

“Victoria has also sweltered through prolonged and increasingly severe heatwaves, and there was a spike in heat-related deaths in Victoria during heatwaves earlier this year.

“Climate change is making extreme weather events more intense and frequent, and rising greenhouse gas pollution from the burning of coal, oil, and gas is fuelling the problem.

“If emissions keep rising, communities will face worsening extreme weather, which could overwhelm already-stretched emergency service organisations. The well-being of the brave men and women working in increasingly intense conditions is also on the line.

“We are deeply concerned about the lack of national action and the unacceptable danger it exposes Australians to – that’s why we have felt compelled to come forward.”

The joint statement calls on Prime Minister Scott Morrison to:
• Meet with a delegation of former emergency services leaders to discuss rapidly escalating climate change risks
• Commit to a parliamentary inquiry into whether Australian emergency services are adequately resourced and equipped to cope with increasing natural disaster risks due to climate change, and
• Consider current arrangements and their effectiveness and properly fund strategic national emergency management resources.

“Just as nobody would stand by and allow a fire to destroy their homes if they had the means to put it out, the federal government cannot ignore the urgent need for action,” Mr Bibby said.