13th National Congress Resolution on Environment and Climate Change

Vanguard  September 2012 p. 9

The principal contradiction in Australian society is between US imperialism and the Australian people. This gives rise to struggles in all spheres of life, including the environmental sphere. Multinational corporations are driven to maximise profits at all costs, including the cost to the environment.

In the early stages of the 21^st Century, the damage to the environment as a result of multinational plunder has reached potentially catastrophic proportions, with 90% of the world’s climate scientists agreeing that human induced climate change and global warming is approaching the point of no return.

The majority of Australian people want an environmentally sustainable economy for current and future generations. It is the struggles and collective voice of the people that has forced the Australian government and more far-sighted sections of the imperialist rulers to introduce a price on carbon, and make concessions from time to time to grass-roots community groups struggling to live in an environmentally sustainable way. However the solutions promoted by governments and big business are restricted to the ‘god’ of the ‘free market’.

The Australian people are in myriad of community, industry and workplace struggles refusing to accept that the ‘free market’ is the death certificate for their children’s and grandchildren’s environmental future. The people know that without a sustainable environment, there is no economy, there is no human life. The people are on the march in their struggle for sustainability and a transition to a renewable energy economy, and will discard governments that fail them on effective action on climate change.

Resolution

• We support the many and rising struggles of the Australian people for environmental sustainability led by the indigenous people’s struggle against the destruction of their lands by rapacious mining multinationals.
•  We support the building of united struggle by workers, community groups, small business and farmers for environmental sustainability, and join with them to make the multinationals and big financial institutions pay for the transition to a renewable energy economy.
• We recognize that the united struggle of the people can make short term advances to reduce pollution and protect the environment. However, it is only by winning an independent Australia under the leadership of the working class that the people can ensure an environmentally sustainable country.