http://www.thepunch.com.au/author-bios/patrick-hearps/ Patrick Hearps is Technical Director at Beyond Zero Emissions. en Copyright 2012 The Punch penberthyd@newsltd.com.au penberthyd@newsltd.com.au Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Politics, opinion, world news, sports news, latest news, views, Barack Obama, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard, Nathan Rees, Malcolm Turnbull, Peter Garrett, Barnaby Joyce, Australian, federal politics, opinion polls, election, The Punch, thepunch, punch ExpressionEngine 1.6.7 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 15 http://www.thepunch.com.au/images/punch-logo-rss.png http://www.thepunch.com.au/ 144 70 Politics, political opinion, world news, sports news and the latest news and views updated live, daily on The Punch - Australia's best conversation. Search The Punch keywords http://www.thepunch.com.au/search/ http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-route-to-make-australia-a-world-leader-in-clean-energy/ The Labor government is clearing the decks to position itself for the forthcoming federal election. After resolving the mining tax dispute, and adopting a position on asylum seekers, climate change is the last issue Gillard must address before the campaign. Whatever policy the Gillard government adopts must account for the scale of the climate crisis. Current levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are already so high that if unchecked will push the climate system past significant tipping points. This worst-case scenario poses an unacceptable risk of dangerous and irreversible changes to the climate, to biodiversity, and human civilisation. These adverse climate changes will affect Australia’s food and water security, and increase the risk of regional instability. The worst of these impacts can be avoided, but only if Australia, together with other major polluters acts now and at a scale the challenge demands. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Patrick Hearps) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-route-to-make-australia-a-world-leader-in-clean-energy/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-route-to-make-australia-a-world-leader-in-clean-energy/#item3539 Tue, 13 Jul 2010 19:30:58 +0000 Patrick Hearps | Author bios | The Punch