The Evil Truth in Australia’s Greenhouse Emissions

Australia’s 26 years of continuous growth, celebrated by governments and economists, is a double-edged sword for our Earth.

Governments, corporations and the Australian people have profited from the business of exporting CO2-producing fossil fuels (see chart below) and in so doing have powered global warming.

There has to be focused global pressure to force change.

from the report: https://climateanalytics.org/publications/2019/evaluating-the-significance-of-australias-global-fossil-fuel-carbon-footprint/

“Meeting the Paris agreement’s long-term temperature goal of holding warming well below 2°C and pursuing efforts to limit warming to 1.5°C means that carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels need to peak soon and decline rapidly afterwards.

The results of this analysis show if current government and industry projections for fossil fuel exports are realised, Australia could be responsible (including both domestic and exported emissions) for about 13% (between 11.9% — 17.4%) of Paris Agreement compatible global CO2 emissions in 2030 from coal exports.

In this context, the expansion in the exploitation of fossil fuel resources that Australia is planning goes against the global efforts to combat climate change and is not consistent with the global energy transition required to meet the Paris Agreement goals, for which the majority of the global fossil fuel reserves should remain on the ground.”

The debate about reducing emissions misses the key point entirely. The statistic quoted in the debates is that Australia’s domestic emissions are around 1.5%, inline with our share of global GDP.

What’s not tabled is that Australia’s exports of coal, gas and oil accounts for 3.6% of global CO2 emissions. The chart below (from a report by Climate Analytics, link in Comments) shows just how the growth in exports of CO2 producing resources has underpinned the Australian economy since the 1960s.

It’s also why the political leadership at national and state levels are defending not just ongoing support but an aggressive expansion of coal and gas exports. The world will eventually turn away from CO2 producing resources. How quickly that happens is not easy to predict.

Given there’s uncertainty about the move away from fossil fuels, you might think that Australia’s governments would be moving to be leaders in alternative, green forms of energy production. It does seem a logical and sensible strategy.

The absence of logic and common sense is now so glaring it blinds us all. A sad and pathetic story to be sharing and one I’m desperately embarrassed to share as a citizen. If only I could be proudly referencing Australia’s leadership in helping save our Earth.

Australia’s share of global GDP sits at about 1.7%, historically closer to 2%. Australia’s share of global greenhouse emissions sits at 5%.

Research by Berlin-based science and policy institute Climate Analytics finds Australia is one of the highest per capita CO2 emitters in the world. On a per capita basis, Australia’s carbon footprint, including exports, surpasses China by a factor of 9, the US by a factor of 4 and India by a factor of 37.

This report confirms Australia is on track to become one of the world’s most damaging contributors to climate damage. “Burning coal and gas is the number one cause of the climate crisis and Australia is now the number one exporter of both, with quantities projected to increase dramatically in coming years.

When we add Australia’s exported emissions to our domestic emissions, Australia rockets to equal fifth on the list of major global climate polluters, alongside Russia and behind only India, the European Union, the USA and China.”

Around 12,000 square kilometres have burned in New South Wales and Queensland in the 3 months since July 2019, an area larger than Jamaica.

And this is just the beginning of Australia’s usual fire season.

About the author:

Greg Twemlow is the founder and director of SEVENmile Venture Lab, a for-purpose enterprise supporting the entrepreneurial community on Sydney’s northern beaches.