Why Doesn’t Australia Commit to Reducing Carbon Emissions?


SYDNEY, Australia – At a time when climate change and those tackling it demand that coal be treated like tobacco as a hazard wherever it is burned, Australia is increasingly seen as the guy who sells and promises cheap cigarettes at the end of the bar. bring more tomorrow.

Along with koalas, kangaroos and beaches, the country is the world’s third-largest exporter of fossil fuels, known for its refusal to clean up its act.

Only days left to get ahead of a big UN climate conference In Scotland, Australia is one of the last developed countries to commit to net zero emissions by 2050, and Refused to reinforce 2030 target or it may make plans to move away from its deep investment in fossil fuel production.

Prime Minister of the country, Scott Morrison, Queen of the II. He has just agreed to attend the climate summit after Elizabeth’s criticism. crowdfunded billboard He called it “Coal-hating Dundee,” mocking his reluctance to address climate change in Times Square.

“Government and opposition have been taken over by the coal and gas industries,” said Adam Bandt, leader of the Australian Greens and Member of Parliament for Melbourne. “Petro is a version of the state.”

Australia’s inertia points to an urgent challenge for the world: how to reach places that profit from a dangerous product for transition before it’s too late. If temperatures continue to rise, and even more damaging storms and fires loom, a combine-and-conquer approach is needed – fossil fuel users and producers need to kick this habit.

The carbon kings are in no rush. A UN report A report released Wednesday found that coal, oil and gas production will continue to increase through at least 2040, reaching levels more than twice what is needed to prevent a catastrophic rise in global temperatures.

Australia is a major contributor to the problem. Energy-wise, the continent is essentially a larger version of West Virginia: Coal is still king, natural gas is celebrated, and the conservative government has a lot in common with Senator Joe Manchin III. blocked President Biden’s comprehensive plan to shift the country towards renewable energy.

Progress looks glacial in many places, but the momentum in Australia isn’t just slow. The country’s leaders are still actively going in the wrong direction. Could be the Great Barrier Reef bleaching from heat and acidity caused by climate change; Towns and families burned by the 2019 and 2020 Black Summer fires yet to fully heal. Yet Australia’s leaders continue to invest in their own constituents and increasingly in what they know, challenging the world.

American, British and UN officials, along with Australia’s vulnerable Pacific island neighbors, have repeatedly given the same message to the Australian government: More must be done.

International Energy Agency in May published a detailed overview On what needs to be done to reduce carbon dioxide emissions to net zero by 2050 and prevent a rise in average global temperature. 1.5 degrees Celsius relative to pre-industrial levels – The threshold at which the Earth faces irreversible damage.

Near the top of the list: end investment in new fossil fuel sources.

Australia’s reaction? Yes No.

The federal government still enjoys Australia’s role as the world’s largest coal exporter. A report A medal icon from the Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources last month denoted its status as the world’s coal-leading country, which is expected to increase from 400 million tons last year to 439 million tons this year.

Last month alone, three new coal mining projects were approved. In New South Wales, the production hub of thermal coal burned in power stations – some of the biggest contributors to global emissions – proposals for 20 new coal mines are under review. A giant project in the state of Queensland, where the Indian industrial giant Adani is located, is not included in this. try to build largest coal mine in the world.

Nor does it include Australia’s natural gas expansion. The government plans to open at least five new gas fields, including the giant gas field. Beetaloo Basin project In the Northern Territory, which received subsidies of approximately $170 million. Tax cuts to the fossil fuel industry last year alone It was worth more than Australia spent on its military – and federal resources minister Keith Pitt said this month that the government should. to spend even more to protect coal and gas.

Critics argue that this is all a distorted political and media culture It has spent decades fulfilling the industry’s offer, while deceiving the public, exaggerating coal employment, and underestimating the need to reverse course. Federal elections are often won or lost in the coal districts of Queensland, and with another contest next year, the coalition government’s junior partner, the National Party, representing regional districts, is playing a familiar hand.

“For at least 10 years they’ve been telling people that climate change is bullshit, that it doesn’t exist, that we can keep digging and burning coal forever and for a day,” said Zali Steggall, an Independent Member of Parliament. The man who ousted former prime minister Tony Abbott in 2019 with a climate-focused campaign. “Now they have a hard time turning to these communities and telling them we were wrong or that we misled you, and we need to do that.”

Richie Merzian, director of climate and energy at the Australian Institute, a progressive research organization, said the task was made more difficult by “the very strong link between the fossil fuel lobby and the Australian government.”

He quoted Brendan Pearson to explain the issue. As CEO of the Australian Minerals Council, Mr. Pearson ad series He declared in 2015 that “charcoal is great”. He also supplied Mr Morrison with a piece of coal he was holding in Parliament two years later, saying, “This is coal. do not be afraid.”

Mr Pearson is currently Australia’s ambassador to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. Mr Morrison appointed him last month.

Until the devastating bushfires two years ago, Australians may not have blinked at the continued support of their government for fossil fuels. The country is responsible for less than 2 percent of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions.

But the Australian public began to become more and more concerned. Surveys show that a strong majority of Australians I even want climate action if costs are significant and the government stop approving new coal mines.

“This is so frustrating,” said comedian Dan Illic. podcast host He raised more than $100,000 for the Times Square billboard. “All of Australia seems to be seeing what’s supposed to happen, except for people receiving fossil fuel donations.”

There is momentum at the local level. several states, including New South WalesThey have committed to more immediate emissions reductions that go beyond net zero and Australia’s promised 26 to 28 percent cuts by 2050. Paris climate agreement

Also, thanks to the changes agricultural practices and solar panels in people’s homesBy the end of this decade, Australia’s emissions are expected to fall by about 34 percent compared to 2005 levels. But this decline is still weak by international standards, with the US promising 50 to 52 percent cuts by 2030, the UK agreeing to a 78 percent reduction by 2035, and Japan promising a 46 percent reduction by 2030. gives.

Annoying for many as they watch their leaders grumble and argue, Australia has enormous potential to lead the energy transition with some of the best. wind and Sun Not to mention a mining industry rich in nickel, lithium, and other materials that go into batteries and other green technologies.

Even Greg Williamson, the mayor of Mackay, a city in North Queensland where coal ships can be seen offshore, said Mr Morrison’s coalition was stuck with “old thinking”, failing to seize new opportunities and continuing to rely on fossil fuels.

“We are all worried about the future, but we need leadership,” he said. “We need solutions”



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