15 August 2018
Koalas and clean energy are among environment movement’s top priorities for 2019 and beyond
Saving koalas, massively expanding clean energy, ending deforestation, and creating a marine park for Sydney are the top five policy commitments the conservation movement is seeking from candidates and political parties in the lead-up the March 2019 state election.
The NSW Nature Conservation Council, the state’s peak environmental non-government organization, today launched its campaign to put the environment high on the agenda for the state election in March 2019.
A Cleaner, Greener NSW – Policies for the 2019 NSW Election and Beyond outlines 45 policies across 10 environmental themes: climate and energy; coal and gas; air pollution; national parks and wilderness; native forest logging; land clearing; urban green space; rivers and wetlands; marine conservation; and plastics and waste.
Five of the top priorities for the 2019 election and beyond are:
- Setting up a $2-billion regional renewable energy fund to accelerate the transition from polluting coal-fired power plants to clean energy as part of a plan to get to zero-emissions by 2040;
- Setting up a $1.5-billion land and biodiversity fund to restore bushland and forest as part of a plan to protect all high-conservation-value habitat from clearing;
- Establishing a Sydney Marine Park to give the marine life the world-class protections it deserves;
- Creating the Great Koala National Park to save our iconic species for future generations; and
- End logging of public native forests to protect what is left of these beautiful ecosystems, which are among the most diverse in the world.
“Nature in many parts of NSW is literally in a fight for its life,” Nature Conservation Council CEO Kate Smolski said. “We have already lost 75 species since European settlement, and 1000 more are on track to suffer the same fate because deforestation is still stripping wildlife habitat across the state. And each year, the list of plants and animals under threat grows longer.
“Our performance on pollution is no better. Despite our abundance of wind and solar resources, more than 80 per cent of our electricity still comes from coal-fired power stations that pump out millions of tonnes of climate pollution every year.
“This is a disgraceful record for a state with the resources and a standard of living that are the envy of the world, but we firmly believe that it is within our power to turn this record around.
“All that’s lacking is the political will to implement the policies and commit the funds outlined in our policy document.
“We will urge all candidates and political parties over the next six months to adopt the policies outlined in A Cleaner, Greener NSW to ensure nature in NSW thrives and that we play our part in the global effort to avoid dangerous climate change.”
About the Nature Conservation Council
The Nature Conservation Council is a movement of passionate people who want nature in NSW to thrive. We represent more than 150 organisations and thousands of people who share this vision. Together, we are a powerful voice for nature.
Policy document
A Cleaner, Greener NSW – Policies for the 2019 NSW Election and Beyond
Tags
NSW Parliament
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