[SYDNEY] — 350.org Australia welcomes the Australian Labour Party’s commitment to achieve net zero greenhouse emissions by 2050 and consult on a 45% reduction target for 2030.

Responding to the announcement, 350.org CEO Blair Palese said:

“The ALP’s targets are a huge improvement on the Government’s which would see our climate warm by 3-4 degrees, writing off our Pacific neighbours and condemning Australians to a dangerous future.

“If Malcolm Turnbull is as serious about climate action as he says he is, his Government will match or exceed the Opposition’s increasingly ambitious climate policies.

“If we want net zero pollution by 2050, we must keep fossil fuels in the ground, stop approving new coal and gas projects and come up with a serious plan for a just transition away from fossil fuels.

“Political ambition mirrors people power. The fact that coal-loving Tony Abbott is no longer at the helm and that the Opposition is putting serious climate policies on the table ahead of Paris shows that Australia’s climate movement is gaining back real momentum.”

Over the next three days, tens of thousands of Australians and millions of people around the world will take to the streets to call for bold and ambitious climate action ahead of the Paris climate talks. For more information about the Australian marches: www.peoplesclimate.org.au