Prime Minister Scott Morrison's visit to the central west this week has prompted the Farmers for Climate Action to again call on the government to stop the spin and put in place a "proper policy."
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Farmers for Climate Action (FCA) CEO Wendy Cohen said the PM's most recent commentary around climate, science, climate action and man's impact on climate change was 'surface.'
"It's just coming across as spin. There's no real substance to it. But more importantly there seems to be absolutely no acknowledgement of a need for taking action on climate change," she said.
Ms Cohen said FCA have been calling on the government to adopt a national strategy on climate change and agriculture and to give everyone clarity and understanding on the next best steps and a coordinated plan.
"To address climate change and to help farmers take on-farm action, to help the entire industry have a coordinated, integrated, long-term plan for cutting emissions, transitioning to re-newables," she explained.
"It's crucial that we have some proper plans, proper actions and proper policies to guide climate action."
The FCA CEO would like politicians and leaders to firstly acknowledge climate change and then take next best practical steps towards serious action.
"We really need to get serious about implementing a national strategy, which will provide clarity and support and a really important tangible framework with practical solutions to reducing emissions and make a dent on climate change,' Ms Cohen said.
She said there are a range of practices producers are implementing, or plan to do, to assist with farms being carbon neutral.
Examples include making wool carbon neutral so national markets who require that are able to purchase Australian wool.
Wine growers are changing the way their grapes grow to the changing climate and manage their vineyards to reduce emissions.
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While Ms Choen praised the efforts of what is being done, she said we all need to become more vocal about our call for climate action.
"And we've seen it in bucket-loads as a result of the bushfires.. of people just saying 'we're not going to accept politicians and other leaders around the country walking away from their responsibility'...," she said.
Ms Cohen said we need national leadership because one person, organisation, or industry on it's own is not enough to have a holistic approach to reducing emissions.
"But it's not going to have the efficacy or impact that it needs to on a national or even global scale unless it's coming from the national government..."
Ms Cohen said she has observed a sense of disappoint from people towards the government, particularity their response to addressing drought, water shortage and bushfires.
"It's important farmers and other Australians are offered relief and recovery mechanisms.. but it's a great opportunity for the government to stop siloing those issues and stop limiting the response to just relief and recovery," she said.
"What they need to do is look at the overall impact climate change has on these horrible events and crisis, and look at overall approach to mitigating and changing the course of climate change."
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