12 November 2019
Climate rally raises $4.5k for firefighters
Hundreds of people who rallied outside NSW Parliament today calling for action on climate change raised almost $4,500 for the NSW Rural Fire Service.
“The RFS saved our home and Mum and Dad were able to go back on Saturday evening,” said Jacqui Mumford, whose parents were evacuated from their property near Taree on the weekend.
“I feel so indebted to the rural fire service who saved our home, many of them volunteers. In all the time we have lived there, we have never seen a bushfire of this scale, or the landscape as dry as it is now.
“Climate change is happening right in front of us, with tragic consequences for communities.”
Ms Mumford was one of several speakers at today’s rally who spoke of their personal experience of the bushfires that have raged over the past week.
“We are here this morning to stand with those affected by the fires and because on this day, when people are retreating from the fires of climate change, the NSW Parliament is set to debate a Bill that will remove the requirement for authorities to consider the climate impacts of new coal mines and gas fields.
“They’re doing this in direct response to a campaign from the coal and gas lobby. Shame on them!
“We are here because instead of acting to prevent this cataclysm, our government is voting today to ignore the contribution NSW coal mines make to climate change.
“To anyone who says it's too soon to talk about climate change, I say it's not soon enough.
“To anyone who says climate change is an inner-city issue, two of the regional councils affected by fires on the weekend have already declared a climate emergency.”
Ms Mumford called on the government to:
- Withdraw the Environmental Planning and Assessment Amendment (Territorial Limits) Bill. [1] “The impacts of climate change don’t obey territorial limits and we need climate change to be front of mind for all planning decisions,” she said.
- Boost funding for the RFS, the National Parks and Wildlife Service, Forestry Corporation and Fire and Rescue NSW.
- Make a plan to get NSW to zero emissions and urgently adapt to the impacts of climate change.
[1] Environmental Planning and Assessment Amendment (Territorial Limits) Bill 2019
Tags
Air pollutionForests and wildlifeClimate and energyNSW Parliament
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