‘They ain’t seen nothing yet’: UN’s top climate official Simon Stiell says Australia will be “front and centre in resettling entire national populations” if climate targets are not met

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1. Excerpts:

   *Australia needs drastic economic reform to avoid a future where it could be forced to resettle large populations of climate refugees from the Pacific and the food bowl of the Murray Darling Basin could be decimated.*

   *That is the view of the United Nations’ top climate official, Simon Stiell, who spoke exclusively to this masthead following a meeting last week with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen.*

   *“It is Australia which will be the front and centre in resettling entire national populations [if climate targets are not met],” said Stiell, who has served as the executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change since August 2022.*

   *“Just to give you a very practical example, right here in Australia the Murray Darling food basin will be decimated. Folks think food prices at the checkout are bad now. They ain’t seen nothing yet.*

   *“Entire island nations neighbouring Australia will also be wiped out, and it is Australia which will be the front and centre in resettling entire national populations.”*

   *He said if G20 nations – which contribute 80 per cent of global emissions and represent 85 per cent of global GDP – do not step up the collective pace of emissions reductions to be on track to halve by 2030, Australia’s economy and living standard would be severely damaged.*