Dear friends

I have sent the letter below to Scott Morrison, requesting a meeting and the declaration of a climate emergency.  If he does not accept, we will present the petition to a supportive MP/ group of MPs to be tabled in parliament.  The letter is below.  

To: The Hon Scott Morrison MP – Prime Minister of Australia

28 July 2019

Dear Mr Morrison

My name is Kate Ahmad, I am a Sydney Neurologist and an Australian who is deeply worried about climate change. I am writing to request a meeting with you in order to deliver my petition: https://www.change.org/p/scott-morrison-declare-a-climate-emergency The petition has nearly 120,000 signatures and requests that the Federal Government declare a climate emergency.

As you will be aware, we face a global challenge of monumental proportions as increased warming threatens our food and water, our safety and borders and our property. The current warming trend is unprecedented, and is due to the result of modifiable human activity. The five warmest years on record have been since 2010, and the average global temperature has already risen 0.9 degrees Celsius over the last century. The polar ice sheets are shrinking, and with the loss of this ice, an exponential rise in warming will occur due to loss of heat reflection. Sea level rise is occurring and threatens particularly our close Pacific neighbours. Extreme weather events are becoming more frequent, and catastrophic bushfires, flooding and drought will affect Australia. We have already lost almost half of the Great Barrier Reef coral, and with warming oceans, it is likely that the whole reef will succumb. It will be a tragedy to lose one of the world’s wonders, and it will also leave hundreds of thousands of Australians without jobs. Our ability to grow food will be impacted, as agricultural land shrinks, and our water supply will be precarious. Climate refugees will seek our help, and war over resources is likely. It’s a dire picture, but there is no doubt that warming is occurring, and the effects must be anticipated and addressed.

Leaders in our country are recognising the existential threat of climate change and responding accordingly. As of today, 28 councils, representing 3 million people, have declared a climate emergency. Australia’s most prominent council, the City of Sydney unanimously passed a motion to declare a climate emergency last month. Some councils are moving to 100% renewable energy, and they are prioritising emission reduction in their decision making.

As an Australian constituent, representing the voices of 120,000 people who care enough to sign this petition, I ask you to please consider declaring a national Climate Emergency. I trust that you have the best interests of all the citizens of our wonderful country, and I know that you will want to mitigate the pending disaster. Declaring a climate emergency means a commitment to emission reduction, a move away from the use of fossil fuels and towards renewables, protecting our forested areas, and putting our environment at the forefront of all decision making. From an economic perspective, this is a sensible proposition, and safeguards the future of our country. Declaring a climate emergency will also give Australia integrity when it comes to international environmental discussions.

I appreciate your consideration, and look forward to your response.

Yours Sincerely,

Dr Kate Ahmad
kateahmad@hotmail.com