ENVIRONMENT: Fossil fuel companies called on to pay for Ozzie fire costs

Australian Climate advocates are calling on fossil fuel companies to pay for the damage caused by the county’s unprecedented bushfires that have destroyed some 2,000 homes, killed at least 27 people and over a billion wild animals.

Scott Morrison the country’s increasingly unpopular Prime Minister has planned to use $2 billion taxpayer money for those affected by the crisis.

“Regular Australians should not be forced to pay while fossil fuel producers are being let off scot-free,” said Ebony Bennett the Australia Institute’s deputy director.

“It’s disappointing that the Australian community will be left to pick up the tab for a climate-fueled disaster,” she added.

Bennett, whose group is pushing for the Australian government to impose a “modest” levy on fossil fuel producing companies to cover the cost of bushfire recovery said  that taxing those responsible for the climate crisis to provide the funds for disaster mitigation would “shift the economic burden of these disasters from regular Australians to the coal and gas companies that are fueling the climate crisis.”

Prime Minister  Morrison announced Monday that the government would obtain the additional $2 billion from the country’s projected $5 billion surpluses for the year.

Morrison’s, response to the fires has been seen as underwhelming and peppered with gaffes like vacationing in Hawaii and promoting Australia as a tourist destination while the fires raged

Monday’s news of more aid from the government came as energy giant Chevron announced it would provide $1 million to the Australian Red Cross to aid in the recovery efforts.

A donation—a fraction of the company’s annual revenue—is not what’s needed from Chevron, tweeted TIME editor-at-large Anand Giridharadas.

“We need you to stop making a killing at the planet’s expense,” she said