The Australian Wind Alliance is one of 51 diverse groups calling for Australia to transition quickly to a low carbon future - including renewables - or be hurt economically.
Representatives of the groups met at Parliament House to present a letter to politicians today, with a move towards a carbon pollution-free Australia the primary focus of the joint statement.
We are alongside the Environmental Farmers Network, Oxfam, Melbourne City Mission, the Australian Women's Health Network, the Australian Council of Social Services, the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation and the Australian Firefighters Climate Alliance - and many other organisation - calling on politicians to "take on responsibility to do more to cut Australia's carbon pollution and do our fair share to limit global warming."
The December 2015 Paris United Nations are a prime opportunity to commit to ambitious targets and continue the transition, the letter asserted.
"Climate change presents many health risks to Australians. The impacts of heatwaves, droughts, fires and floods include death, injury and illness, displacement, trauma and mental ill-health," the letter stated.
"Reducing carbon pollution will modernise the economy: A pathway to net zero carbon pollution is an opportunity to modernise the Australian economy and build a sustainable, prosperous future. Economic modelling shows that under a low carbon pathway the economy will continue to grow to 2.5 times its current size by 2050. ...Emissions reductions are becoming cheaper due to advances in technology. But if we delay action it will cost the economy more to transition ...shifting the burden to the next generation and jeopardizing our future international competitiveness."
Read the full letter here.