Adelaide Advertiser
Thursday 4/10/2007 Page: 14
MORE than two-thirds of Australians would pay an extra $3 a week for electricity to help meet renewable energy targets. Newspoll research, released yesterday by the Australian Conservation Foundation and the Australian Medical Association, found 64 per cent of people would spend the extra money to meet a renewable energy target of 25 per cent by 2020. That came as the association warned ignoring climate change posed serious public health risks, such as the spread of potentially deadly tropical diseases like dengue fever and malaria.
Foundation executive director Don Henry said $3 a week was equivalent to a cup of coffee and would pay for the uptake of solar and wind energy. He said about 9 per cent of the nation's electricity came from renewable sources. The survey was a "wake-up call" for politicians. "We're starting to fall behind Germany, California and China even in the proportion of renewable energy and yet we're the sunny country," Mr Henry said. He called on all political parties to commit to a strong Mandatory Renewable Energy Target, ratify the Kyoto Protocol and improve efficiency of appliances, vehicles and buildings.
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