Today Bill Shorten announced that he would be proposing a 50% renewable energy target (RET) to the Labor Party’s national conference this weekend.

It’s good news that Labor have had a change of heart after voting with the Abbott Government to gut our RET just weeks ago, and allowing native forests to be burnt.

It’s also good news that it’s a lot better than PM Abbott’s ideological opposition to renewable energy. But it's bittersweet because Labor are still approving new coal exploration licenses in Victoria and pushing ahead with mega-coal mines and coal ports on our Great Barrier Reef.

And the science says we need to move much, much faster. That's why the Greens have had target of 90% clean energy by 2030 for a long time. 

One thing is certain -- it’s always positive to see global warming back on the political agenda.

As we approach the UN Climate Conference in Paris, the state Labor Government in Queensland being asked tough questions about the unviable Adani mega coal mine and farmers are standing up to the Government’s approval of the enormous Shenhua coal mine in NSW -- now is an important time for us to reach out to our friends, family and networks who may not have thought much about global warming before.

This year has been huge for the climate.

We’ve seen the Liberal and Labor parties gang up to tear down our RET, the government has launched an hysterical campaign against wind energy and in a bizarre twist the NSW Government is launching a “Carnival of Coal.”

The Greens have always, and will always, stand for strong action on global warming. That means transitioning to 90% renewable energy future by 2030.

Let’s use this opportunity to reconnect with our friends and family who may not be sure about global warming, and ask them to get on board our campaign.

We’re going to need as much support for strong action on global warming as we can muster in the lead up to the 2016 election. The Abbott Government needs to feel the pressure, and the Labor Party needs to know that the Australian people support a more ambitious clean energy future.

Will you have a climate conversation today?

Thank you so much for all you do,

Larissa Waters

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