Guest essay by Eric Worrall

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison is talking up Australia’s efforts, while warning against “needless anxiety”, and demanding China take a greater role in climate efforts.

Scott Morrison does not want kids to have ‘anxieties’ about climate change after Greta Thunberg’s speech

By North America Correspondent James Glenday in New York

Scott Morrison has warned against causing children “needless anxiety” about climate change and suggested Australian kids need to be given more “context and perspective” on the issue.
Key points:

• Mr Morrison said he did not want Australian children to be anxious about the changing climate
• He said Australia had the highest per capita investment in renewable energy
• The Prime Minister missed the climate summit but will address the UN General Assembly on Wednesday

Responding to a passionate speech by Swedish teenage environmental campaigner Greta Thunberg at Monday’s United Nations Climate Summit, the Prime Minster said it was important Australian children were confident they would live in a “wonderful country and pristine environment”.

“They will also have an economy to live in as well,” he said.

“I don’t want our children to have anxieties about these issues. “We’ve got to let kids be kids.”

The Prime Minister has faced criticism from Australian businesspeople and scientists for missing the summit.

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Read more: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-09-25/scott-morrison-warns-climate-change-anxiety-young-people/11546846

On China;

Australian PM says China must step up on climate change as ‘newly developed’ nation

Scott Morrison uses keynote speech of US visit to say China should be doing more to combat the climate crisis

Katharine Murphy Political editor, in Chicago
Tue 24 Sep 2019 00.01 AEST
Last modified on Tue 24 Sep 2019 15.48 AEST

Scott Morrison has challenged China to do more heavy lifting on climate change, saying Australia welcomes its economic growth, but that prosperity and power also come with responsibility.

The Australian prime minister used the keynote speech of his US visit, at the Chicago Institute for Global Affairs on Monday, to praise China’s “economic maturity”. Morrison characterised China as a “newly developed” rather than a developing economy, and argued that status conferred developed-world obligations on the Chinese leadership.

“Having achieved this status, it is important that China’s trade arrangements [and] participation in addressing important global environmental challenges, with transparency in their partnerships and support for developing nations, reflect this new status and the responsibilities that go with it as a world power,” Morrison said.

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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/sep/24/australian-pm-says-china-must-step-up-on-climate-change-as-newly-developed-nation

Prime Minister Scott Morrison as usual leaves me with a feeling of “not good enough”.

Scott Morrison criticises China for their climate hypocrisy – but demands they do more. Yet at home Morrison does very little about climate change, while talking up the need to do something, and provides in my opinion transparently inadequate descriptions of all the climate good he intends to do.

Mr. Prime Minister, if you feel so strongly about how Australian kids are being affected by climate anxiety, and you are right to feel that way, then make a decision; either embrace the green path wholeheartedly, or follow President Trump’s lead and make a stand for economic sanity. Work to undo the damage.

Telling kids climate change is an issue but not doing anything about it is confusing and cruel.