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East-West Link = Climate madness!

May 2, 2014 at 12:39 pm John Englart 2 comments

The Napthine government’s polluting East-West Link tollway is madness and a scar on our inner-northern suburbs, starving public transport of funds, creating more traffic and destroying 5000 trees and open space. It will increase greenhouse gas emissions which drive global warming, when we need to reduce them quickly.

Our climate is heating up

Australia’s climate is getting hotter and more extreme. Big bushfires and Melbourne’s scorching January heatwave are disturbing glimpses of our future unless we make a sharp change of direction.

Over the last 30 years, Melbourne heatwaves have occurred 17 days earlier, have become 1.5 degrees hotter, and the maximum temperature of the hottest day is 2 degrees higher, compared to 1950-1980. Extreme, over- 40 degree heatwaves in 2009 and 2014 resulted in 500 additional deaths from heat stress and related conditions. Melbourne will become less and less liveable as escalating global warming takes us to a new climate that humans have never before experienced, with tremendous pressure on water supplies and food security.

Make the ‘big switch’ to renewable energy

We need a ‘big switch’ away from fossil fuels to a clean, renewable energy future. Fossil fuels – coal, oil and gas – must be kept in the ground. But building the East-West Tunnel is like building a new coal-fired power station, and a huge step in the wrong direction. We do not need this immensely costly ($8-$15 billion) and destructive road. Melbourne needs a big program to renew and expand our public transport infrastructure: a comprehensive network of trains, trams and buses, all running on emissions-free renewable energy.

We can do it! People power can stop the tunnel

Denis Napthine and the corporate interests behind him are determined to build the tunnel. Labor says it is against the project, but its ‘opposition’ is not worth very much while it says it will not break the contracts if they are signed before the election. Labor should step up, or face a backlash.

Most Melbournians oppose the tunnel. We need a big grassroots campaign to make the political cost of proceeding unacceptable. Stopping the tunnel is a vital part of the fight for a climate-safe future.

Get involved in Climate Action Moreland

Climate Action Moreland is affiliated to the Moreland Campaign Against the East-West Tunnel (MCAT) and is involved in a range of other activities to build support for serious climate action. Find out more about Climate Action Moreland and get involved.

Entry filed under: campaigns, news. Tags: East West Tunnel, Melbourne.