FACT SHEET

PUTTING EQUITY BACK IN THE CLIMATE CHANGE DEBATE

The Uniting Church is called to ensure the needs of the most vulnerable in our society are not forgotten in the climate change debate.

Internationally, the impacts of climate change are not evenly distributed – the poorest countries and communities will suffer the earliest and the most. In Australia, certain households and communities are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change and may be disproportionately disadvantaged by the introduction of emissions trading under the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS).

The Domestic Dimension

Low income households

In the absence of compensating policies, the CPRS could disproportionately impact low income households, as these Australians:

	typically do not have the savings needed to invest in energy-efficiency measures for their homes
	typically spend a higher proportion of their budgets on essentials such as energy, fuel and food (the costs of these goods and services are likely to rise with the introduction of emissions trading)
	tend to use energy less efficiently because they live in poorly insulated homes, have older appliances and are more likely to be using second-hand vehicles
	often live in areas where reliable public transport is scarce or non-existent, and so cannot switch to public transport as fuel costs rise
	are more likely than other Australians to live in rental accommodation and are not able to invest in energy-saving measures for the home (as this is the landlord’s responsibility)

Investment in public transport and energy efficiency support for low-income households can significantly address the impacts of the CPRS on Australia’s poorest and most vulnerable.

Indigenous Australians

	The existing social and economic disadvantage felt by many Indigenous Australians reduces their ability to cope with and adapt to climate change
	There are several climate change impacts which may particularly affect Indigenous Australians, including an increase in the number of days of extreme heat (increasing the incidence of heat stress and diseases such as malaria)
	For many Indigenous communities, the health of their country is connected to their own cultural, mental and physical wellbeing. Climate change impacts are likely to indirectly affect the social and cultural cohesion of these communities.

Regional and remote communities

	Higher fuel prices have the potential to burden whole regional and remote communities, who have fewer transport alternatives and longer distances to travel to work, recreation and other services
	Agricultural communities will continue to be affected by the increased frequency of extreme weather events caused by climate change, such as severe droughts, floods and storms

“If we are to meet and overcome the challenge we must think creatively about the organisation of our social and economic institutions, our relationship with each other across national and cultural boundaries and our relationship with the environment.”

For the Sake of the Planet and All its People: A Uniting Church in Australia Statement on Climate Change
National Assembly Standing Committee, Nov 2006

The International Dimension

The world’s poorest people are least responsible for the greenhouse gas emissions causing climate change, yet will be hit much earlier and harder than the rich. The impacts of climate change are already putting at risk the lives and livelihoods of millions of vulnerable and marginalised people across Africa, Asia, the Pacific and Latin America, hampering many areas of development, such as food and water security, health and sanitation.

	In Africa, agricultural production and access to food will be severely compromised, with shorter growing seasons and lower yields
	In Asia, glacial melt from the Himalayas will increase flooding and avalanches, then reduce water supplies
	In Latin America’s tropical forests, higher temperatures and the loss of ground water will reduce biodiversity, affecting the livelihoods of many indigenous communities
	Low lying Pacific island communities are heavily concentrated in coastal regions, meaning that rising sea levels and increased storm surge will threaten the very existence of Pacific communities, as coastal reefs are destroyed, fresh water reserves contaminated with salt water and land submerged. Their plight is of particular concern in the Uniting Church due to our close relationship with our partner churches in the Asia-Pacific region.

Developing countries have a lower capacity to cope with environmental shocks, such as droughts and floods. Rich, developed nations need to stop harming and start helping poor communities by properly funding international initiatives to assist developing countries adapt to climate change (such as the United Nations Least Developed Countries Fund), and reducing their own greenhouse gas emission levels.