Australia ranked worst in world on climate action

The Conversation

AAP Image/Richard Wainwright

Australia is performing worse than most other advanced countries in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), according to the global SDG Index, which compares different nations’ performance on the goals.

According to the SDG Index, released yesterday in New York, Australia is ranked 37th in the world – down from 26th last year, and behind most other wealthy countries including New Zealand, Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom.

The best-performing countries are the northern European nations of Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Germany, all of which have a history of balancing economic, social and environmental issues.

The SDG Index measures progress against the 17 SDGs agreed by all countries at the United Nations in 2015. The goals encompass a set of 169 targets to be met by 2030 to achieve economic prosperity, social inclusion and environmental sustainability.

Yet despite the progress made by some countries, all nations still have a way to go to achieve all of the goals.

Australia: the world’s worst on climate action

The latest SDG Index shows that Australia is performing relatively well in areas such health and wellbeing, and providing good-quality education. But its results for the environmental goals and climate change are among the worst in the OECD group of advanced nations.

The new index ranks Australia as the worst-performing country in the world on climate action (SDG 13). The measure takes into account greenhouse gas emissions within Australia; emissions embodied in the goods we consume; climate change vulnerability; and exported emissions from fossil fuel shipments to other countries.

One of the reasons why Australia has slumped so far in the rankings is that the SDG Index is now taking into account the so-called “spillover” effects that countries have on other nations’ ability to meet the SDGs. These effects may be positive, such as providing development aid; or negative, such as importing or exporting products that create pollution.

The report shows that G20 nations account for the largest negative economic, environmental, and security spillover effects. Despite being among the richest nations in the world, the US, the UK and Australia are rated worst in the G20 for negative spillovers.

The UK, for instance, rates particularly badly on the tax haven score, which makes it harder for other countries to raise the tax revenue needed to provide health, education and other services to their citizens.

This year’s SDG Index also includes a key environmental spillover indicator: carbon dioxide emissions embodied in fossil fuel exports, calculated using a three-year average of coal, gas and oil exports.

Australia’s annual exported CO₂ emissions are a colossal 44 tonnes per person. This outstrips even Saudi Arabia (35.5 tonnes per person), and is orders of magnitude larger than the figure for the US (710kg per person).

G20 leading the way?

With all countries still falling short of achieving the SDGs, the SDG Index also assesses what actions G20 governments are taking to help close this gap. Most G20 countries have begun to implement the goals but there are large variations among G20 countries in how the SDGs are being embraced by political leaders and translated into action.

Composite score of national coordination and implementation mechanisms for the SDGs in G20 countries. SDSN and Bertelsmann Stiftung, 2018 SDG Index and Dashboards Report

Brazil, Mexico and Italy have taken the most significant steps among G20 countries to achieve the goals, illustrated for instance by the existence of SDG strategies, coordination units in governments, or online platforms. India and Germany have at least partially already undertaken an assessment of investment needs.

According to this assessment, Australia has taken some initial steps to support SDG implementation.

Supportive actions taken by the government include setting up a cross-departmental committee, co-chaired by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, to coordinate Government SDG activities. The Senate has established an inquiry to examine the opportunities to implement the goals.

Significantly, the federal government has also prepared a Voluntary National Review report on progress in implementing the goals, which it will present to the UN’s High Level Political Forum next week.

The report addresses how Australia is performing against each of the goals and includes many case studies of implementation from business, civil society, academia, youth and all levels of government.

It is accompanied by a new Australian SDG case study hub. Many of these activities occurred after the cut-off period for the SDG Index, so Australia’s overall performance on SDG implementation is actually higher than the SDG Index gives it credit.

However, Australia is not taking more deliberative action to address the SDGs, such as developing a national implementation plan or setting aside funding for SDG implementation.

Nor are individual departments identifying the gaps in Australia’s SDG performance and identifying what they plan to do differently to address them.

The ConversationGiven Australia’s poor performance on some of the SDGs there is clearly a need for targeted action if we are to achieve the goals by the 2030 deadline.

John Thwaites, Chair, Monash Sustainable Development Institute & ClimateWorks Australia, Monash University and Tahl Kestin, Sustainable Development Solutions Network Manager, Monash Sustainable Development Institute, Monash University

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Comments

14 responses to “Australia ranked worst in world on climate action”

  1. MaxG Avatar
    MaxG

    C’mon… Aussies and sport and competition: We are the BEST in climate in-action 🙂
    Don’t tell the pollies, they may use the slogan 🙂

    1. rob Avatar
      rob

      Max read my comment above to Joe……..we will all be dead before long….I’m over fighting……just no juice left in the tank ….so to speak and when evil people of a similar mind attack you……yes that is you @hettie@hettie It is time to give up…..her last comment to me was “infantile” because I used the term SOZ…..SORRY but hard to not understand why she doesn’t attack you for similar comments…..! and FFS Hettie don’t you dare have another go at me! Either block me or leave me alone you old witch! See you got a response…..took me a few days to consider it but here it is……@hettieHettie

      1. rob Avatar
        rob

        sorry max for eventually letting my mouth open and posting it in a response to your comment, which I might note had nothing to do with you what so ever……so for that I am sorry! I have purposefully not responded to any comments she has made (especially her spelling) for which she was a grammar Nazi with me from day one……. but from a retired Nurse…….and we have shared conversations both here on on facebook for a little while……..I’m not mentally well but have innate intelligence (and 4 Degrees in Education)…..I am appalled at her continued sniping at me……. I suspect the time she spent working for “MAJOR DRUG COMPANIES” may have changed her caring nature…..I’m not able to stop her and quite frankly I no longer care…..sure she is knowledgeable and to others comes across as sweet granny……..That she is not! Mentally I am not able to cope with her continual smears ………Hey @hettie simply block me and leave this mentally not stable person alone!

    2. rob Avatar
      rob

      Max…….. please share this with Hettie I don’t know how…but she needs to know to leave me alone….thank you rob

  2. howardpatr Avatar
    howardpatr

    Hypocrite Turnbull will out there raving about his NEG and Snowy 2 but rarely, if ever, will he mention climate change. The RWRNJs in the LNP know his craving for power overides his supposed 2009 commitment to climate change.

  3. Joe Avatar
    Joe

    “Australia ranked worst in the world on climate change”…. Two Tongues Turnbull & his pretend government couldn’t care less. Climate Change just doesn’t register with this group of ‘Climate Criminals’. The real tragedy is that it doesn’t have to be this way. We / Australia are blessed with the full suite of RE sources that other countries can only dream of. We / Australia should be the tip of the spear on RE and instead all we get is the Two Tonguer and incessant banging on with his NEG.

    1. rob Avatar
      rob

      Sorry joe but I will be long “DEAD” ie in the next 10 years to care anymore……I have no family, no friends anymore….. My fight my friend is done…….I’m over it

    2. Anneli Sinkko Avatar
      Anneli Sinkko

      Both Labor and Liberals are to blame – climate change should be above politics

      1. Joe Avatar
        Joe

        Agreed. Australia must be the last holdout where there is still a battle on the Science of climate change. The LNP refuse to believe, Labor believes but either get stymied by The LNP ( repeal of The ETS by Abbott ) or give it up ( Rudd in 2010).

        1. Anneli Sinkko Avatar
          Anneli Sinkko

          Spot on

  4. pyxis Avatar
    pyxis

    Your article actually says worst in the OECD not the world but whatever have your click bait.

    1. Alan S Avatar
      Alan S

      The article says worst in the world for climate action and amongst the worst of OECD countries regarding environmental matters. I can imagine the pro coal knuckle draggers in the LNP wearing that as a badge of pride.

  5. Cheyne Stahlhut Avatar
    Cheyne Stahlhut

    Doesn’t take a genius to figure out why, just follow the money and it’s pretty easy to see why we’re addicted to coal.

    Lobbying (I.e. bribes) to politicians doesn’t exactly help the situation.

  6. charles frogg Avatar
    charles frogg

    After travelling the world and seeing all the work being done in third world countries to stem the onslaught of climate change I can only agree with this statement that Australia is by far the worst country in the world and is doing nothing about climate change. I have observed many places in SE Asia where they have taken on the need to save the planet and now wash their rubbish and refuse before throwing it into rivers or burning it by the roadside. Cars have been done away with and replaced by Tuk tuks with their very efficient 125cc motor bike motors. Dirty electricity has been done away with and replaced by burning animal dung and scarce wood from ever decreasing forests which shows how adaptable these people are at saving the planet with ever more efficient use of the earth’s natural resources. In Europe and the United States heating homes during winter using thousands of gallons of mineral oil shows just how much Australia is behind in saving natural resources where in Australia very little oil if any is used to keep homes at a habitable 30C all winter long thus saving the need to use dirty electricity and with the ever colder winters and increasing snow falls in the northern hemisphere destroying the dirty CO2 producing electricity transmission systems this is a proven way to cut green house emissions.
    I could go on for hours about how every other country in the world has climate change at the top of the list to be defeated even if it reduces the standard of living similar to Australia’s but Australia is definitely the worst country in the world without doubt.

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