In the Australian state of Western Australia, the Labor government has pushed major dirty energy projects forward, derailing the country's climate policies and contradicting its own previous climate goals.
What's happening?
The Guardian posted an opinion article by Carmen Lawrence, a former Labor premier of Western Australia, detailing a major environmental issue happening in WA.
The headline, "Western Australia is tearing up environmental protections — and taking a bet the rest of the country won't notice," wasn't the only accusation in the article.
Lawrence went on to write that WA falls behind the rest of the country and is often isolated and cut off, leaving its local government actions to go unnoticed.
"The tyranny of our distance has always meant it's been hard to get the attention of the east coast," Lawrence wrote.
Previous WA climate legislation from 2021 aimed to reach net-zero pollution by 2050. Recently, however, the Labor government in WA has shelved these goals in exchange for pushing forward huge dirty energy projects.
The WA environment minister Reece Whitby recently announced to parliament that the WA government was changing its policies and would no longer seek to regulate planet-warming gases.
Two days after the announcement, the state government passed sweeping reforms to the WA Environmental Protection Authority without prior consultation with environmental groups.
WA is the only Australian state where pollution continues to increase, and there are no plans to reduce it or replace the dirty fuel energy with renewable energy sources, per Lawrence.
Why is pollution in Western Australia important?
The climate crisis is a global concern. Unchecked pollution output anywhere in the world could negatively affect us all.
Human health and safety are greatly impacted by rising global temperatures. Extreme weather events like hurricanes and heat waves are worsened by the climate crisis, and our air and water have become polluted.
As the climate crisis worsens, so will its effects on our health and safety.
What's being done about the climate crisis?
Upcoming state and federal elections will allow Australian voters to have their voices heard regarding the government keeping its commitment to reducing pollution output.
In other areas of the world, renewable energy sources like solar and wind are gaining popularity to replace dirty fuel sources and cut down on toxic pollution. In 2023, global renewable energy capacity added to energy systems increased by 50% compared to 2022.
Every country's commitments and actions toward reducing pollution help ensure our safety and the future of our planet.
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