Dangerous Climate Change: The most serious threat facing our state, and planet

The scientific consensus is in: climate change is real and it is the most serious threat facing our state, and planet. As NSW Premier Morris Iemma has said, "The greatest threat to our environment and way of life comes from global climate change. It is no longer possible to talk of some future when the heating of the planet will begin to have adverse effects. The time is now - climate change is already happening.

Climate change is caused by an accumulation of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in our atmosphere. The most abundant greenhouse gas is carbon dioxide (CO2). CO2 emissions come from the burning of fossil fuels like oil, coal and natural gas. Australia has the worlds highest per capita emissions of the greenhouse pollution that causes climate change, mainly because of our coal and aluminium sectors. Greenhouse-polluting coal is used to generate almost 90% of our power.