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.<\/p>\n
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 \u201cEmergency Leaders for Fire Action\u201d group that have issued the joint statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve seen scores of bushfires, including Ash Wednesday and Black Saturday. Such extreme events are clearly becoming more intense and frequent, and they\u2019re devastating communities and exhausting our firefighters,\u201d former CFA chief executive officer Neil Bibby said.<\/p>\n
\u201cVictoria 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cClimate 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are deeply concerned about the lack of national action and the unacceptable danger it exposes Australians to \u2013 that\u2019s why we have felt compelled to come forward.\u201d<\/p>\n
The joint statement calls on Prime Minister Scott Morrison to:
\n\u2022 Meet with a delegation of former emergency services leaders to discuss rapidly escalating climate change risks
\n\u2022 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
\n\u2022 Consider current arrangements and their effectiveness and properly fund strategic national emergency management resources.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust 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,\u201d Mr Bibby said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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 \u201cEmergency Leaders […]<\/p>\n