Rising Tide welcomes Newcastle Council climate compensation motion

Last night Newcastle Council passed a motion calling on the Federal Government to establish a National Climate Compensation Fund to support communities, households and local governments in meeting the costs of climate adaptation, resilience and disaster recovery.

Rising Tide spokesperson, Alexa Stuart, said Rising Tide welcomes the move by Council:

“As Newcastle pays the cost of increasing climate disasters, it’s time that polluters foot the bill, not local residents, ratepayers and taxpayers. We currently let coal and gas executives and shareholders make millions profiting off climate destruction while everyday people face the brunt of the climate crisis and rising cost of living. 

“This is a step in the right direction. But you can’t put out a fire whilst pouring fuel on the flames – if Newcastle, home of the world’s largest coal port, is serious about protecting locals from the cost of climate impacts, we also need to urgently phase out our coal exports and diversify the Hunter economy.”

See Climate Media Centre’s media release for more details.