A group of Australia’s leading climate and environment organisations have signed an open letter, coordinated by the Australia Institute and published today in The Canberra Times, calling on the federal government to tell Australians when it will stop approving new coal, oil and gas projects.

The open letter comes as world leaders convene this week at the 79th session of the UN General Assembly in New York, to accelerate efforts to prevent the most dangerous impacts of climate change.

To ensure Australia is doing its fair share for a safe climate, the open letter signatories are calling on the government to:

• Tell Australians and the rest of the world when Australia will stop approving new coal, oil, and gas projects.
• Stop offsets being used to justify new fossil fuel projects.
• End native forest logging.

“Even though the world’s climate scientists and the UN Secretary-General have all declared that new fossil fuels are incompatible with a safe climate future, the Australian government is stubbornly continuing to approve new coal, oil and gas projects” said Rod Campbell, Research Director at the Australia Institute.

“Just yesterday, the federal government approved three new coal mines out to the 2060s, which will produce over 1.3 billion tonnes of emissions.

“To approve huge new coal mines while world leaders meet to discuss the most dangerous impacts of climate change is absurd, but also consistent with Australia’s disappointing track record on the issue.

“The time has arrived for the government to declare when its last fossil fuel project will be approved.

“Ending native forest logging and stopping the use of carbon offsets to justify the expansion of fossil fuel projects in Australia are further essential steps on the path to genuine climate action with integrity.”