The Greens’ ambitious plan to halt the tide of extinctions by 2030 in Australia is a bold and welcome policy that will supercharge essential environmental protections this decade, the Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS) says.
The centrepiece of the Greens’ $24bn environmental policy would be made possible with stronger environmental laws, investments in restoration projects and the climate impacts of mines assessed before approval, the party said.
This means there would be better protections for marine wildlife at high extinction risk, like sawfish, turtles and seabirds.
The policy compliments the Greens’ strong climate plan to slash fossil fuel emissions by 75% this decade and reach net zero by 2035 – goals which align with limiting global warming to no more than 1.5C – a crucial threshold for coral reefs.
AMCS CEO Darren Kindleysides said the Greens were so far the only political party to lay out publicly a comprehensive plan to protect Australia’s natural wonders and wildlife.
“We welcome their pledge to reform and strengthen the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act with an independent watchdog holding those who wreck our natural spaces and threaten our wildlife to account,” he said.
“With global heating cooking our oceans and damaging our reefs, strong environmental laws are crucial to help us protect these pressured environments from any further human-induced damage.
“We call on the other parties to match the ambitions of the Greens and show they are serious about protecting Australian environments.”
