(a) notes that:

(i) the weight of scientific evidence strongly suggests that:

(a) the global average surface temperature increased by approxi-mately 0.6C in the 20th Century and is likely to increase by between 1.4C and 5.8C in the 21st Century, and

(b) the primary cause of global warming is the increased concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere due to human activities, particularly the burning of fossil fuels,

(ii) the impact of climate change in Australia could include decreased water availability, lost productivity in the agricultural, fisheries, forestry and tourism sectors, increased fire risk, loss of alpine habitats and species, an increase in severe weather events, degradation and loss of coral reefs, and an increased risk of infectious diseases, respiratory illness, heat-related ill-nesses and allergies, and

(iii) despite the risk to Australia, the Howard Government has refused to ratify the Kyoto Protocol and failed to implement sufficient measures to reduce domestic greenhouse gas emis-sions and minimise the impact of climate change; and

(b) calls on the Government to:

(i) ratify the Kyoto Protocol and work cooperatively with the international community to devise a comprehensive agreement to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions,

(ii) increase the mandatory renewable energy target to a real 5 per cent by 2010,

(iii) introduce an emissions trading scheme,

(iv) amend the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 to ensure approval is required for all actions that could result in significant greenhouse gas emissions, and

(v) develop and implement a broader range of measures to reduce domestic emissions and encourage the expansion of the renewable energy sector.