Catholic Religious Australia and Climate Change

The peak body for Catholic Religious Orders, Catholic Religious Australia, has published a clear clarion call before the 2025 federal election on issues to do with climate and the environment.

Grounded in Catholic social teaching, the prophetic statement reads, “Care for the natural world, our ‘common home,’ is a central moral concern of the Catholic Church, and Catholic Religious Australia (CRA) is a strong advocate for environmental and climate justice. 2024 was the hottest year on record globally, and the first calendar year where the average global temperature exceeded 1.5°C above its pre-industrial level.”

The statement challenges our nation to wind back coal and gas exports, stop subsidising fossil fuels and deliver meaningful Climate Finance to climate vulnerable countries like the low-lying island nations of the Pacific. It also issues a strong warning against nuclear energy.

Download the statement, with graphic design.

Australia is a major contributor to global fossil fuel-driven carbon emissions, being the world’s third-largest fossil fuel exporter. Australia needs a strong emissions reduction target and supportive policies that take into account our overall international and domestic emissions levels.

CRA calls for no nuclear energy!

Shifting Australia to nuclear- powered energy is not a timely response to the urgent need to reduce emissions. It could take almost twenty years to build, plan and license nuclear power stations, while it only takes 1–3 years to implement solar and wind-powered energy projects.

Nuclear power poses significant environmental and human health risks. Nuclear waste disproportionately impacts Indigenous peoples, with storage or disposal of hazardous materials often occurring on their lands.

Amidst a cost-of-living crisis, going nuclear would place additional financial strain on Australians.

Independent analysis shows that building nuclear could increase electricity bills by $665 annually on average. Building solar and wind power is a much lower-cost way to meet our electricity needs.

Nuclear reactors require massive amounts of water for cooling, placing strain on an increasingly drought-prone country.

Nuclear power creates the capacity to build nuclear weapons, while nuclear reactors, spent fuel storage ponds and reprocessing plants are effectively pre-positioned large radiological weapons, vulnerable to attack.

CRA calls for no new coal and gas projects, no fossil fuel subsidies, no coal and gas exports!

Gas and coal are the largest contributors to global climate change, responsible for over 75 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. The approval of more coal and gas projects is completely incompatible with necessary emissions reductions.

Australia can completely meet its energy requirements from renewable sources. With more than 40% of the electricity in our main electricity grid currently coming from renewable sources, the next Australian government should commit to further growing large- scale renewable energy and storage capacity.

Gas and coal are some of the most expensive energy sources. In comparison, renewables provide the lowest-cost electricity, and in a cost- of-living crisis, homes with rooftop solar could save on average $1500 per year on energy bills.

Australia’s subsidies to fossil fuel producers and major users from all governments totalled $14.5 billion in 2023–24. Subsidies and tax breaks make fossil fuels cheaper, deterring the transition to renewable energy and supporting ongoing fossil fuel- driven emissions.

Through fossil fuel exports, Australia is responsible for some 1.15 billion tonnes of the CO₂ emissions burned overseas, representing a far greater amount of climate pollution than is emitted domestically. Australia needs to include emissions produced through fossil fuel exports in its reduction targets, and to develop a dedicated plan to rapidly wind down international exports.

CRA calls for enhanced Nature Laws!

Our national environment law currently does not mention climate change. Australia needs legislation that mandates consideration of climate risk when undertaking environmental assessments for new projects.

‘Nature positive’ needs a legislated definition against which national progress in halting and reversing nature and biodiversity loss by 2030 and achieving full recovery by 2050, can be quantifiably monitored and measured.

Australia also needs an independent a national environment protection authority, with compliance and enforcement powers, including the power to veto new projects that will contribute to the climate and environmental crisis.

The principles of First Nations’ ‘Free, Prior and Informed Consent’ should be integrated into nature laws, underpinning culturally appropriate and ongoing consultation with relevant First Nations communities regarding projects likely to impact their cultural heritage, lands or water.

CRA calls for enhanced climate finance!

Australia needs to meet its fair share of global climate finance. The COP29 climate finance target of at least US$300 billion a year by 2035, falls far short of the $1.3 trillion many developing countries have called for from higher income countries.

Australia needs to increase its annual contribution to multilateral climate funds.

Our Pacific nation neighbours, contributing less than 0.03% of total global emissions, are disproportionately affected by climate change. Current climate financing going to Pacific nations is around USD$0.2-0.6 billion, far short of the USD$1.5 billion needed per year for mitigation, adaptation and loss and damage. Australia, a member of the ‘Pacific family,’ needs to make a greater financial contribution.

Download the statement, with graphic design.