SA STORMS SOUND ALARM BELLS ON CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS

WWF-Australia today expressed support for the people of South Australia as they deal with the state-wide blackout, and said the storm presents another reminder of the need to take stronger action on climate change.

“The violent storms have exposed the vulnerability of the power network to extreme weather events and reinforces the need to move away from dirty coal generation which is fuelling global warming,” said Adrian Enright, WWF-Australia’s Carbon Finance Manager.

“We understand that the wind toppled at least 22 transmission towers and that power was shut down across all forms of generation due to safety concerns."

“This storm has been part of a string of recent extreme weather events across Australia, including Sydney’s wild storms which battered coastal properties in June this year."

“With scientific research indicating climate change will cause storms to become more intense, it is crucial Australia takes stronger action to reduce our carbon pollution."

“Our thoughts are with the people of South Australia,” said Mr Enright.

Media contacts: Mark Symons, Senior Media Officer, 07 3103 6935