Misinformation, weasel words and hypocrisy were all Labor had to offer at a recent summit designed to highlight concern for the environment, writes Sue Arnold.
LABOR TOUTED its “environmental credentials” in hosting the self-described world’s first Global Nature Positive Summit in Sydney last week, co-hosted by the federal and NSW governments.
A careful examination of the conference speakers, presentations and discussions demonstrates a very clear picture of the Labor Governments’ intentions concerning the environment. Without a doubt, this was the world’s first nature negative summit with nature up for sale, paving the way for governments to step out of the way of massive destruction of the planet’s life support systems, instead allowing corporations free reign as nature becomes an economic marketplace.
According to the website, summit leaders explored effective ways to realise global commitments under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
The website for the framework states:
‘The vision of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework is a world of living in harmony with nature where “by 2050, biodiversity is valued, conserved, restored and wisely used, maintaining ecosystem services, sustaining a healthy planet and delivering benefits essential for all people.”’
The mission of the Framework for the period up to 2030, towards the 2050 vision is:
‘To take urgent action to halt and reverse biodiversity loss to put nature on a path to recovery for the benefit of people and planet by conserving and sustainably using biodiversity and by ensuring the fair and equitable sharing of benefits from the use of genetic resources, while providing the necessary means of implementation.’
Given that the focus of the summit is transforming nature into a market, with a paucity of independent biodiversity scientists and virtually no NGOs save for a significant presence of WWF past and future office holders, the agenda makes grim reading.
According to the summit website:
‘The event will build understanding of changes required to systems and settings to value nature and address biodiversity loss.’
There’s no mention of the alarming loss of forest fauna, ecosystems, flora, riparian zones and climate change impacts. Nor any mention of Australia’s appalling record as a global leader in mammal extinction.
In a message to participants, Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek said:
“The Australian Government is doing more than ever to make our economy nature positive. Building on our launch of Australia’s Nature Positive Plan, we’re committed to stopping nature’s decline. That means zero new extinctions and stopping biodiversity loss by protecting and conserving 30 per cent of Australia’s land and marine areas by 2030.”
Not to be outdone with the propaganda, NSW Minister for Environment Penny Sharpe says:
Government and community cannot simply be the managers of steady environmental decline — we must be the stewards of actively protecting what’s left, turning around the loss and restoring biodiversity.
Our goal must be to leave nature better off than we have found it.
Tell that to the scientific and environmental community as they watch the promised Great Koala National Park being logged out of existence.
The sheer extent of misinformation, irresponsible claims, weasel words and undeniable evidence of major ongoing declines in biodiversity under the federal and NSW governments demonstrate this summit was an act of blatant hypocrisy. Yet Labour will use the summit's creation as “evidence” of their governments’ fake concern and non-action to protect our life support systems.
Also yesterday, submissions to the NSW Government’s recently created Independent Forestry Panel (there’s that word again) closed. The panel was established to engage with stakeholders to inform the development of the Forestry Industry Action Plan by the NSW Government.
The panel is comprised of Peter Duncan AM (Chair), Professor Mary O’Kane AC and the Hon Mick Veitch. There are no independent environmental scientists with expertise in forestry included in the panel. Terms of reference demonstrate yet another delaying tactic in addressing the catastrophic loss of biodiversity caused by industrial logging of NSW native forests.
The Government has indicated that the Forestry Industry Action Plan will address key topic areas.
The panel has focused the call for public submissions on:
- sustainability of current and future forestry operations in NSW;
- environmental and cultural values of forests, including threatened species and Indigenous cultural heritage values;
- demand for timber products, particularly as relates to NSW housing, construction, mining, transport and retail;
- the future of softwood and hardwood plantations and the continuation of Private Native Forestry in helping meet timber supply needs;
- the role of state forests in maximising the delivery of a range of environmental, economic and social outcomes and options for diverse management, including Indigenous forest management models; and
- opportunities to realise carbon and biodiversity benefits, support carbon and biodiversity markets and mitigate and adapt to climate change risks, including the greenhouse gas emission impacts of different uses of forests and assessment of climate change risks to forests.
Why the NSW Government continues to actively pursue industrial logging is the big question given the extent of protests coming from broad sections of the public. Scientists have published peer-reviewed research demonstrating the critical need for logging to stop. Climate change impacts, bushfires and floods remain unaddressed by the Minns Government. The Forestry Corporation of NSW has been well-described as a rogue agency, backed by a compliant government with no regard for the environmental consequences of its exponentially destructive practices.
In many respects, the creation of the panel demonstrates the stark inability of environmental organisations to have any influence on the Labor Government. Despite petitions, press releases, submissions and lobbying efforts, nothing has changed.
Many regional newspapers are reporting that one of five options being put to stakeholders is an end to native forest logging within four years, with supply to be met through other sources.
In response to IA’s call to the panel’s media spokesperson, there has been no apparent change in the panel’s focus. Attempting to identify the source of the proposal to end native forest logging in four years has been a mission impossible.
WWF Australia’s Stuart Blanch says the inclusion of an exit option is a big deal. But is it?
Blanch said:
“I think this is the first time a NSW government process has seriously consulted stakeholders on ending native forest logging.”
Four more years of industrial logging will be disastrous for native forests in NSW. No one can predict with any certainty the increasing likelihood of bushfires, drought and floods as climate change impacts wreak havoc on the environment. In four years, there may be a change in government with continuing policies of forest destruction.
Blanch added:
“I think this is showing there's [sic] enough people in government and parliament who think it's safe enough to articulate this as a real issue they need to explore.”
Safe enough? What exactly is happening in the NSW Parliament? Are Labor politicians under threat from the Premier if they vote against native forest logging? Do they represent voters or the party?
Both the federal and NSW Labor governments are relying on propaganda as a policy tool when it comes to critical environmental issues. The ongoing extinction of iconic, uniquely Australian species demands responsible governments that ensure the protection of the foundations of life.
Sue Arnold is an IA columnist and freelance investigative journalist. You can follow Sue on Twitter @koalacrisis.
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