Abbott govt headed for ‘big fail’ on emissions reduction

Emissions reduction targets being considered by the Abbott government fell well short of the targets adopted by comparable countries, and would establish Australia as the most polluting of any developed economy in 2030, the deputy CEO of The Climate Institute has warned.

In response to media speculation that the federal government was considering an emissions target of between 15-25 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030, TCI’s Erwin Jackson said either number would amount to a “big fail”, considering that Australia would need to aim for around a 65 per cent reduction on 2005 levels by 2030 to do its bit to limit global warming to less than 2°C.

“Both a 15 or a 25 per cent target would be big fail on both climate action and competiveness grounds,” Jackson wrote on in an emailed statement on Tuesday.

“These targets would leave Australia languishing at the back of the pack, at best, and at worst, the most pollution-intensive developed economy. While other countries are taking serious steps to limit pollution and modernise and clean up their economies, Australia would continue to lose its competitive position in a world moving to zero carbon economy,” he said.

To illustrate his point, Jackson referred to the below table, which shows just how far behind the pace Australia’s mooted targets are.

Screen Shot 2015-07-14 at 1.14.44 pm

“The dark orange shaded numbers indicate that the target is the worst among developed economies,” he explains. “The light orange indicates it is in the worst three. The average middle of the pack are also indicated in blue and on all counts these targets will leave Australia falling well short.”

The Climate Institute has also illustrated Australia’s position graphically…

Screen Shot 2015-07-14 at 1.17.19 pm Screen Shot 2015-07-14 at 1.17.23 pm Screen Shot 2015-07-14 at 1.17.28 pm

The first (chart), says Jackson, ranks the countries by the rate at which they are seeking to reduce emissions after 2020. The last two show the countries estimated per capita and emission intensity if the targets are achieved. “(Both) targets would leave Australia as the most polluting country, in relative terms, than any developed economy in 2030,” he notes.

The Greens have also hit out at the reported targets, as well as to the newly announced delay before their release, calling it “deceptive and tricky” of the Abbott government to work from a 2005 baseline, when most other countries were measuring their cuts from emissions recorded in 2000.

“The independent, science-based Climate Change Authority has said we need to cut emissions 40-60 per cent by 2030. Tony Abbott is dreaming if he thinks 7.25 per cent is near enough,” said Greens deputy leader, Senator Larissa Waters.

“To say they’re considering cutting emissions 15-25 per cent by 2030, based on 2005 levels, actually means 7.25-18 per cent by the year 2000 baseline everyone else is using.

Waters said the only thing worse than such a “woeful ambition” from the Abbott government would be if it was backed by Labor.

“A target like that would be one of the weakest pledges made for the Paris climate conference so far, putting Australia right at the back of the pack internationally,” she said.

“Australia would either be seen as a global free-rider, or our weak targets would hijack strong global action.

“Tony Abbott’s refusal to make meaningful cuts to pollution is denying Australia great economic opportunities, and is condemning us all to disastrous climate change, which will have flow on effects in terms of health, national security, availability of food and water – everything.”

Comments

7 responses to “Abbott govt headed for ‘big fail’ on emissions reduction”

  1. Keith Avatar
    Keith

    Time for the Labor party to show some courage and make substantial targets to put some pressure on… and do it soon.

  2. Gerberaman Avatar
    Gerberaman

    Your dreaming, right? Labour is scared of it’s own shadow. If the Greens can’t make some headway as a major party during this fiasco then they never will. We seem to have even forgotten how to play cricket.

  3. disqus_3PLIicDhUu Avatar
    disqus_3PLIicDhUu

    Aren’t we just sick of dealing with these mugs.
    We need this double dissolution now FFS

  4. RobS Avatar
    RobS

    Why do we persist in allowing them to frame the debate around whether their emission reduction policies go far enough!? Their policies don’t reduce emissions whatsoever, they have consistently increased since they started to implement them after 4 years of steady falls. Saying they don’t go far enough gives them credit that their policies are achieving reductions at all which they are not!

  5. JIm Avatar
    JIm

    The commitment to reduce emissions is looking like yet another lie

  6. JustThink4Once Avatar
    JustThink4Once

    I suspect the LNP will win the next election. The Labor vote will fall and the Greens share will increase.
    Too many Australians are more concerned about “boats and terrorists” than the real threat to both our economy and planet. Labor is too scared of Abbott to present any semblance of a spine and that leaves the Greens to pick up the environmental vote. I wish it were otherwise but that’s the Murdock counter reality we live in. On the positive side 2 terms of this government should pretty much finish them off for good as the reality of climate change and cheaper renewable power finally sinks in. By then a right wing vote will be seen as just too dangerous.

  7. john Avatar
    john

    When a statement is made that “other countries have not meet their promises” is accepted, we have a problem.

    Australia has meet its promise to limit the increase in emissions to 8%.

    The USA never ratified Kyoto and Canada pulled out.

    Japan because it closed its nuclear plants with good reason has missed by 1%.

    We did narrowly beat NZ however we are not exactly at the front of the pack.

    The recession helped all countries.

    Spin and fear is now the common thread of politics not exactly uplifting at all.

    Link to fact check of statement
    http://theconversation.com/factcheck-has-australia-met-its-climate-goals-while-other-nations-make-airy-fairy-promises-44656

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