Equity and climate change
Why climate change and its impact on poverty matter to us
Climate change will affect every Australian, but its impact will inevitably be felt hardest by those who are disadvantaged or on low incomes. Poorer Australians tend to have less fuel-efficient cars, often live far from public transport and have poorly insulated homes, with expensive forms of heating and inefficient hot water systems. Most can’t afford to invest in fuel-efficient cars and in appliances that will cut their energy costs. Private renters face even greater hurdles to energy efficiency. This means that as the price of energy goes up, the poorest Australians will be least able to adjust and will see their standard of living reduced unless assistance measures are put in place.
Many are also employed in industries that are vulnerable to the economic restructuring that climate change will cause. This makes climate change not just an important environmental issue, but an important social issue too.
We need to ensure that low-income Australians are protected from the impacts of climate change and that our responses to climate change do not increase social inequality. In fact, done the right way, taking action on climate change can make us a fairer and wealthier nation.
What we want
The Brotherhood’s climate change proposals focus on:
- giving low-income households better access to energy efficiency measures that will reduce their vulnerability to price increases resulting from an emissions trading scheme, increase comfort at home, and lessen the effect of damp, heatwaves and severe winters on their health
- promoting the growth of green collar jobs and related training, to ensure that disadvantaged job seekers and long-term unemployed people can join the green workforce.
What we’re doing