philanthropyOz Blog

Equity in response to Climate Change

There is now growing awareness that significant changes in climate are occurring due to increasing human-generated greenhouse gas emissions. A concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere leads to rising temperatures and more extreme, unstable weather behaviour. In highlighting such physical impacts, however, conversations on climate change to date have overlooked the social impacts – impacts which need to be given equal weight to environmental and economic considerations if there is to be an adequate and effective response to climate change.

On 26 March this year, two welfare and two environmental NGOs: the Brotherhood of St Laurence, National Welfare Rights Network, the Australian Conservation Foundation and The Climate Institute, held a conference of great significance. The issue, ‘Equity in Response to Climate Change’, was placed firmly on the national agenda.

Go to the Climate Change page to download the key papers given at the conference.