PM Transcripts

Z,
PRIME MINISTER
rHEIC AGAINST DMLIVER EMBARCOEn UNTIL nDFLIVPRY
SPEECH DY THE PRIME MINISTER
LAUNCH OF THE ENERGY GUIDE
SYDNEY 12 APRIL 1991
The issue of weather and climate change has been around for
quite some time.
Last century the editorial writer of an American newspaper
commented that " everybody talks about the weather but nobody
does anything about it".
You can't say that: anymore. The activities of humanity have
started to exert et profound and an unhealthy influence on
the earth and its atmosphere, resulting in the emergence of
" The Greenhouse Effect" as a global environmental problen.
In the spirit of the newspaper editorialist, we must do
something about this accelerated global warming and its
potentially drastic effects, and we must do it now.
The need for energy conservation and efficiency is
paramount. Last year, my Government adopted an interim plannin target
of stabilising emissions of greenhouse gases by thw year
2000, and reducing them by the year 2005 to 20% below their
1988 levels.
Of course, we had already adopted a policy of phasing out
CFCs and halons ( ozone depleting gases and also greenhouse
gases) by 1997, three years ahead of the scheduled proposed
by the Montreal Protocol.
These sorts of measures are a matter of great pride for me
personally and for this Government.
much of the focus about our environmental achievements over
the years has been on domestic issues. But Australia has
also been steadily building up a record of strength on
international environmental issues which is second to none.
Truly global issues such as the Greenhouse Effect, depletion
of the ozone layer and ecologically sustainable development
are assuming increasing importance world-wide. G~ -1: 1