Friends of the Earth Brisbane
Climate Justice Collective

MEDIA RELEASE
2nd June, 2007

Melting ice Rising Seas: World Environment Day Commemoration
When: 11-4pm, Saturday June 2007

Where: Sutton’s Beach, Redcliffe (north of the café and conference centre)
What: Activities on the day will include: a climate change quiz (with
prizes), short talks on climate justice, colouring-in for kids, a poetry
competition and more!!

Each year under the United Nations, World Environment Day is celebrated
around the world on the 5th June. This year’s theme is Melting Ice: A Hot
Topic. The melting of the world’s ice is accelerating, the rate having
doubled in the past decade. If this doubling continues for each of the
subsequent decades of this century, sea level rise will be in the order of
metres this century.

Friends of the Earth Brisbane is holding a community event to draw
attention to the impacts of sea level rise, and particularly the plight of
our Pacific island neighbours who are facing land loss, flooding and the
possibility of displacement as a result of climate change.

Australians currently account for only 0.32% of the world’s population yet
we are responsible to 1.43% of the world’s greenhouse gas production, with
our per capita CO2 output being the second highest in the world.

The greenhouse emissions of small Pacific Island nations such as Kiribati,
Tuvalu, Tonga and Fiji is negligible, yet they are the first people in the
world who are suffering major consequences of rising sea levels from
climate change, with land loss and flooding with king tides.

Once rising sea levels penetrate the fresh water aquifers that these small
islands depend on, their fresh water supply is lost permanently, with the
islands becoming uninhabitable.

Most islanders would prefer to remain where they are but if rising sea
levels force them from their homes, then the richer nations of the Pacific
who have added so much to this problem, should take these peoples in.

In contrast to the New Zealand government, the Australian government has
not acknowledged the difficulties of Pacific island climate change
refugees, refusing to even negotiate with their various governments over
this issue.

The problem of climate change is becoming more urgent every year. If
business continues as usual, there could be up to 200 million climate
change refugees around the world.

Australia must urgently address its climate change responsibilities. We
must sign the Kyoto Protocol and set C02 emission targets of 40% below
1990 levels by 2020 and more than 90% by 2050 if we are to minimise the
risk of dangerous climate change.

More information: Hannah Elvery 0431 700 793