The Australian Labor Party’s Climate Bill Is Empty Symbolism | Jacobin
Labor’s climate bill is little more than symbolism. With escalating climate disasters and soaring inflation, it’s bad policy and even worse politics.
Last week, the Australian government introduced their controversial climate change bill into Parliament. Even though the bill’s passage through a contested Senate is still anything but certain, Labor prime minister Anthony Albanese used the opportunity to declare an end to the “climate wars.” This, however, is wishful thinking. There is simply no way to paper over the conflict between fossil fuel capital and the biosphere that civilization relies on.
As climate disasters increase in frequency and severity, the stakes are literally life and death. Consequently, the severity of political conflict over the climate crisis is only going to intensify. Labor is trying to convince its voters that it is taking the climate crisis seriously while reassuring fossil fuel capital that it doesn’t pose a threat. Sooner or later, the contradictions will come to a head, and for the sake of our future, Labor needs to cut its ties to fossil fuel capital before it’s too late.
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