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200 Climate Change Activists Storm Australian Parliament

  • Security staff remove a protester from the main foyer of parliament during a climate change protest in Canberra, Australia, December 2, 2015

    Security staff remove a protester from the main foyer of parliament during a climate change protest in Canberra, Australia, December 2, 2015 | Photo: Reuters

Published 2 December 2015
Opinion

Over 100 protesters forced their way into Canberra's Parliament House in protest at the government's climate change policies.

Around 200 demonstrators participated in a sit-in protest at Australia's Parliament House Wednesday, urging the Turnbull government to take increased action against climate change.

The activists were dragged from the marble foyer by police after refusing to leave when asked. They held banners saying “Put people ahead of polluters” and chanted, "The whole world is watching."

The crowd included numerous Australian Greens members, such as party leader Richard Di Natale, and parliamentarians Adam Bandt, Scott Ludlam, Lee Rhiannon and Janet Rice.

Di Natale described the event as “democracy in action” and said that Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull was not acting on “catastrophic global warming.”

Bandt said the protest was a reflection of a national mood for change on climate change action.

“People here in parliament today have said we're running out of time,” he told AAP, adding, “People in Australia feel so strongly about this and want the parliament to take the kind of action on climate change that science demands.”

Turnball angered many when he turned down a fossil fuel subsidy pledge in late November, despite dozens of other developed nations signing on. Around 40 countries including the United States and United Kingdom are set to sign the statement during the COP21 climate talks in Paris, France.

However when addressing delegates of the COP21 Monday, Turnbull said Australia would pledge US$1 billion over the next five years for the Green Climate Fund, including an initial US$200 million promised earlier this year.

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The money will be used to help Pacific Island nations deal with the threat of rising sea levels, although the money will be funded out of the existing foreign aid budget.

Tanya Plibersek, deputy leader of the Labor Party, described Turnbull’s pledges as “pretty rich.”

“Considering we have actually cut funding to countries like Kiribati that are currently struggling with climate change adaptation and mitigation, in fact we cut AU$2.5 million (US$1.8 million) from Kiribati."

During his speech Turnball also said Australia would cut its carbon emissions by 26 to 28 percent by 2030.
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