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https://theconversation.com/australia-got-off-on-a-technicality-for-its-climate-inaction-but-there-are-plenty-more-judgement-days-to-come-261305>
"This week, the Federal Court found the Australian government has no legal duty
to protect Torres Strait Islanders from climate change. The ruling was
disappointing, but it’s not the end of the matter.
The plaintiffs, Uncle Paul Kabai and Uncle Pabai Pabai, hail from the low-lying
islands of Saibai and Boigu, near Papua New Guinea. They argued the
Commonwealth was negligent for failing to take strong action on climate change.
While the judge accepted the devastating effects climate change has wrought on
the Torres Strait Islands, he found the Uncles did not prove their case of
negligence.
However, the judge found previous Australian governments had not taken the best
available science into account when setting emissions reduction targets. The
finding tightens the screws on the Albanese government, which is due to
announce Australia’s long-awaited targets to cut emissions out to 2035.
To protect communities in the Torres Strait, and across Australia, the
government must set a 2035 target that is in line with the science.
And the court finding is unlikely to stem the tide of litigation seeking
greater government accountability for climate change – especially for those
most vulnerable to its harms."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
