https://www.climatechangenews.com/2019/12/06/one-worlds-biggest-emitters-trying-fly-radar-cop25/
One of the world’s biggest emitters is trying to fly under the radar at Cop25
Published on 06/12/2019, 7:11am
Comment: Australia is the third biggest fossil fuel exporter, has high emissions and plans to use a loophole to meet its pledges. Don’t let them stay in the background
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Firefighters try to control a bushfire in Australia (Commons/Quarrie Photography)
By Richie Merzian
Australia markets itself as laid back, easy going, beach-lounging country. In fact the current prime minister was a key architect of that image, when he headed up the public tourism agency.
At Cop25, Australia will try and keep a low profile, focus on blue carbon and avoid discussing its accounting tricks to meet its Paris promises.
When it comes to climate change, Australia really struggles. With high emissions, even higher fossil fuel exports, harsh climate impacts (like the current unprecedented bush fires) and weak climate action. Australia’s response is to just keep on digging (literally – which is why it remains the world’s largest coal exporter). To understand this disconnect you have go deeper into the land down under.
Emissions
Australia is the 14th largest emitter of greenhouse gases out of the 196 parties to the Paris Agreement. But apparently being in the top 10% doesn’t mean much to Australia’s prime minister Scott Morrison, who claims Australia is ‘just’ 1.3% of global emissions. Its astounding that the 182 other parties (including smaller emitters like Cop President Chile, or host Spain, or incoming Cop president the United Kingdom) even try. Australia emits more than 40 countries with larger populations, so naturally at a per capita level it is right at the top.
Cop25 Bulletin: The political feedback loop
While Australia’s emissions are high, they are less than half the size of the emissions embedded in the fossil fuels it exports. The country is the third largest global exporter of fossil fuels, in terms of emissions, after Russia and Saudi Arabia. Of the three fossil fuel energy sources, Australia is the world’s largest exporter of two of them; coal and natural gas. Australia exports a greater portion of the world’s coal market than Saudi Arabia does to oil.
According to the latest Global Carbon Budget report, coal is responsible for 40% of fossil fuel and industry emissions. But wait there is more, according to the Production Gap Report Australia is on track to double emissions from fossil fuels production by 2030 (compared to 2005 levels).
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Understandably, the fossil fuel industry is a powerful lobby in Australia and at one stage, this self-described ‘greenhouse mafia’ bragged about actually drafting Australia’s climate policies. Just last month, realising that fossil fuels are becoming less attractive energy options for its trade partners, the minister for energy and emissions reductions Angus Taylor (who is attending his first Cop), approved a new facelift strategy: turn coal and gas into hydrogen and voila, a ‘cleaner’ fuel (for customers at least – as it comes with zero emissions on consumption). Forget renewable hydrogen, the process receiving the largest share of government funding is turning brown coal (lignite) – the most high polluting form of coal – into hydrogen.
Impacts
Australia is no stranger to climate impacts. In fact my flights to Cop25 were delayed and close to derailed because Sydney was shrouded in smoke from surrounding bushfires. Sydney is the capital of New South Wales, the most populous state, where more forest has been burnt this year before summer even begins (in December) than the three previous years combined. World heritage forests are on fire and its a ‘global tragedy’ according to local conservationists.
Yesterday, Australia's national firefighters union called on the government to urgently phase out coal, oil and gas because climate change puts their crews and volunteers in harrowing situations like this more and more often https://t.co/S24bafL9Du — Karl Mathiesen (@KarlMathiesen) December 6, 2019
Instead of diagnosing the cause, the Australian deputy prime minister Michael McCormack claimed that the only people linking climate to the current bushfires were ‘raving inner-city lunatics’.
According to the Australia Institute’s Climate of the Nation Report 2019, 76% of Australians agree that climate change is causing more bushfires. Yet David Littleproud (real name), the minister appointed to head up the disaster response, claimed it was ‘irrelevant’ whether climate change contributed. To admit climate change supercharges bushfires, as many fire chiefs stated, would require responding accordingly. Instead other potential causes were brought in like not enough land clearing. Easier to blame others than to come to terms with your own poor efforts to solve a global problem.
Its for this reason Australia earned a Fossil of the Day from NGOs as soon as Cop25 kicked off.
Action
Australia’s poor efforts on climate action are record-breaking. This current Australian government remains the only one in the world to dismantle a working emissions trading scheme (ETS).
For a few brief years, Australia had a national carbon price that reduced national emissions by 2% and grew the economy by 5%. Since it was dismantled, national emissions have been trending upwards. This makes it hard for the Australian government to meet its modest 26% emission reduction target (on 2005 levels by 2030) so over half of the necessary abatement will come from its leftover allocation of Kyoto Protocol (KP) credits.
The Australian government claims it has 367 Mt of KP credits and it is ‘entitled’ to use them toward its Paris Agreement target. The negotiating bloc that represent small islands states and least developed countries have called it out and there are many legal and moral reasons why it can’t and shouldn’t be allowed. Australia is the only party in the KP intending to do this and it is hoping that other countries don’t care. Certainly not enough to kick up a fuss at Cop25.
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Australia only got those credits by holding up the Kyoto Protocol negotiations, in a last minute objection, to ensure it could use a very generous baseline. And then under the first period it increased its emissions to 108% of that generous baseline, and in the second commitment period cut emissions by (drumroll) 0.5% from that same baseline.
The prime minister of Australia is best known for bringing a lump of coal into Australia’s parliament house and telling everyone there not to be afraid. Coal itself is not what is scary. It’s the policies that sit behind it and encourage production, export and provide it protection. It is policies that don’t link climate impacts to fossil fuels. And it’s the policy of avoiding climate action required under the Paris Agreement by employing loopholes.
At Cop25, Australia will be trying to keep a low profile. Will you let it?
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Read more on: Climate Politics | Comment | Comment | COP25 | Pacific | UN climate talks | World | Australia
Dear Colleagues and Friends from RG,
The annual climate summits of the United Nations, i.e. the so-called COP (Conference of the Parties) regarding climate policy on Earth are important events aimed at increasing the scale of international ecological cooperation. However, for many years these conferences mainly played the role of propagating the idea of the need to develop sustainable pro-ecological economic development conducted in accordance with the green economy philosophy, including the implementation of ecological innovations in economic processes and increasing the scale of pro-ecological reforms implemented in the energy sectors and other branches of the economy of individual countries, developing pro-ecological investments as part of ecological state interventionism, financed from sources of funds from green finance. However, real actions were very limited. Only some countries of the world have committed, for example, to significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing the scale of financial resources allocated to the implementation of ecological innovations and carrying out pro-ecological reforms in the energy sector, including primarily the development of energy based on renewable energy sources.
In view of the above, it is also important to include the following issue in the above discussion: Defining key determinants of environmentally friendly international cooperation and actually increasing the scale of this cooperation to save the planet Earth from a possible climate armageddon that may occur at the end of the 21st century in connection with the increasingly rapid global warming process . Quick actions in the area of pro-ecological reforms, creating eco-innovations and their efficient implementation in economic processes as an important factor of sustainable pro-ecological development carried out in accordance with the green economy philosophy are necessary. It is necessary to increase international cooperation in this matter and the commitment of individual countries to real action in this matter, i.e. increase in financial expenditure on implementing environmentally friendly reforms in the energy sectors and other branches of the economy. The first significant step in this matter has already been achieved. The European Union will achieve climate neutrality by 2050. The European Union plans to create 100% energy by 2050. based solely on renewable energy sources.
The above discussion inspired me to formulate the following question:
When will all countries sign a similar agreement and commitment that by 2050 they will achieve climate neutrality, i.e. all greenhouse gas emissions, including mainly CO2, will be absorbed, i.e. there will be no real human-generated excess of greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere?
On the basis of the above considerations and conclusions from the discussion on interesting issues discussed, I formulated the following thesis that on 13.12.2019 the first significant step was finally achieved in terms of real actions, i.e. political decisions regarding the development of pro-ecological international cooperation and making binding commitments in implementation of the principles of sustainable pro-ecological development. The European Union has committed itself to achieving climate neutrality by 2050.
Below I have described the key determinants confirming the formulated research thesis. To the above discussion I would like to add the following conclusion formulated as a summary of my earlier considerations on this topic: The main determinants planned by the European Union to achieve climate neutrality by 2050.
More and more institutions promoting the principles of sustainable pro-ecological economic development are operating nationally. Development of international cooperation in order to better and more effectively integrate political, business and social activities in the scope of implementation of the principles of sustainable proecological economic development, dissemination of the green ecology philosophy, introduction of ecological innovations, including reforming the energy sector and development of renewable energy sources, development of electromobility, improvement of waste segregation, the development of recycling is insufficient, it is too small.
In my opinion, environmental policy should be internationally synchronized. There should be greater compliance and supra-national cooperation on the implementation of pro-ecological reforms in the energy sector, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and improvement of recycling processes, waste segregation and reclamation of natural environment degraded by the industry development. Supranational institutions such as the United Nations, World Bank etc. should become more important in coordinating the resolution of global problems such as the ongoing global warming process.
The European Union plans to create 100% energy by 2050. based solely on renewable energy sources. Is this real? Yes, in my opinion this is real. On December 13, 2019, important news was announced in the media: New Green Deal adopted. This date will go down in history. By 2050, the European Union will achieve climate neutrality, i.e. the increase in greenhouse gas emissions is expected to be stopped and the emissions should be at the absorbed level. Below, I describe the key issues that determined these political activities in the European Union.
Every now and then conferences and climate summits take place in various countries around the world. In principle, everyone agrees on the importance of implementing the necessary ecological reforms in economic processes. In addition to representatives of energy extracting companies for the needs of traditional energy industry consisting in the burning of minerals and these traditional power plants, probably everyone agrees that in order to slow down unfavorable for the natural environment, for life on Earth, progressing global warming processes should be implemented as soon as possible pro-ecological reforms, in especially on a larger scale to develop renewable energy sources. In addition, pro-ecological innovations on an industrial scale should be implemented as soon as possible.
The previous climate summit of this type took place in Katowice, Poland in December 2018. It was the UN climate summit, i.e. COP (Conference of the Parties) regarding climate policy on Earth. UN climate peaks, i.e. COP (Conference of the Parties) are global conferences during which climate policy activities are negotiated. Poland hosted them twice - in 2008 in Poznań and in 2013 in Warsaw. In December 2018, the climate summit is now taking place in Katowice, Poland for the first time. During this summit, conferences were held, discussions are held on the need to develop a sustainable development policy and the need for the development of ecological, renewable energy sources in order to generate future reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and ultimately limit the rise in average annual temperature on the Earth's surface.
The discussions show that it is necessary to develop ecological innovations, new pro-ecological energy sources, and the development of electromobility of means of transport. The development and implementation on a massive scale of renewable energy sources is essential. In addition, it is important to increase the scale of afforestation, because forests and the flora they contain absorb a large proportion of greenhouse gas emissions.
As part of the aforementioned UN Climate Summit of December 2018, the 24th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP24) took place, 14. The Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP 14) and the Conference of Signatories of the Paris Agreement (CMA 1). About 20,000 people from 190 countries participated in the event, including politicians, representatives of non-governmental organizations as well as scientific and business circles.
The lectures given during the summit mentioned above show that in recent years the process of global warming has significantly accelerated, and therefore in the black scenario of future climate changes the temperature on the Earth's surface may rise by 4 ° C by the end of the 21st century. Should this happen, then the scale of dangerous natural disasters, including droughts, floods, fires and weather anomalies in many places of the globe will increase many times over. The problem is very serious globally and therefore a lot depends on whether international cooperation will develop in order to solve these problems and reduce their negative effects.
In view of the above, it is necessary to change the development strategy based on intensifying the exploitation of Earth's resources into a strategy of sustainable development. It is necessary to develop new renewable energy technologies to slow down the progressive greenhouse effect of the Earth, to reduce the risk of emerging dramatic natural disasters. It is necessary to develop eco-innovations while it may not be too late. It is necessary to save the Earth from destruction for future generations.
The 21st century is the last moment to introduce global sustainable development based on the development of renewable energy and ecological innovations. Sustainable development should be analyzed and measured in correlation with the analysis of economic growth and the participation of individual sectors in the country's economic development, including the transformation of traditional energy sources into renewable energy, environmental reclamation and recovery of recyclable materials, and the creation of ecological innovations.
Unfortunately, probably the only main positive effect of these conferences and climate summits is the promotion in the media of the need for these pro-ecological reforms. On the other hand, the scale of actions undertaken in this direction, the scale of growth in expenditure supported by subsidies from state budgets for the development of energy based on renewable energy sources, the development of electromobility, improvement of garbage sorting and recycling processes is still small in relation to the needs of sustainable pro-ecological development conducted according to the green economy philosophy.
In individual countries, the scale of pollution and degradation of the natural environment varies significantly, which is mainly related to the level of implementation of the principles of sustainable pro-ecological development in accordance with the green economy philosophy. The scale of pollution and degradation of the natural environment varies across countries, organizational cultures, economic systems, etc. The rate of economic growth, people's standard of living and the issue of environmental reforms, systemic instruments for environmental protection and other elements of implementing sustainable development principles also affect the scale of pollution and degradation. the environment, including greenhouse gas emissions. There are also different geographical conditions, terrain, geological, climatic and natural conditions, which may be a factor determining the selection of specific types of energy sources developed based on renewable energy sources. This is an important issue because in individual countries the above-mentioned determinants are developed to varying degrees. Therefore, there are different conditions in individual countries for the development of specific types of energy based on renewable energy sources. However, in many countries, regardless of the climate zone, solar power plants are built with solar panels.
On the other hand, the problem of increasing greenhouse gas emissions and the global warming process that is progressing faster and faster is a global problem. Therefore, international cooperation should be developed in the field of development of energy based on renewable energy sources, including, among others, in supporting less economically developed countries to also develop solar energy successively replacing traditional energy based on combustion of minerals. In addition, technological development is gradually contributing to the creation of more and more perfect photovoltaic panels that can produce electricity not only in climatic zones characterized by high sunlight. Currently mounted on the roofs of houses and industrial buildings, production halls etc. modern photovoltaic panels can produce electricity even in a moderate climate zone in low sunlight, in cloudy weather. Due to this, installations and gyms equipped with photovoltaic panels can be built almost all over the world in order to develop pro-ecological energy based on renewable energy sources. In my opinion, wherever possible, solar energy should be developed as the most neutral for the natural environment.
In my opinion, the development of international cooperation to more and more effectively integrate political, business and social activities in the implementation of the principles of sustainable proecological economic development, dissemination of the green ecology philosophy, introduction of ecological innovations, including reforming the energy sector and the development of renewable energy sources, development of electromobility, improving segregation waste, recycling development is insufficient, is too small.
The protection of biodiversity of natural biological ecosystems is one of the main challenges of sustainable ecological development to be implemented in the 21st century. However, the problem is the implementation of the principles of sustainable pro-ecological development into commercially implemented business processes. It is not easy to combine the green economy philosophy with the foundation of commercially operating business processes, i.e. classic economics. It is necessary for business communities to cooperate with other types of organizations, including pro-ecological social institutions and the world of science.
An example of the particularly high importance of international cooperation for the dissemination of sustainable pro-ecological development is cooperation between countries in Europe, which is coordinated by international institutions and institutional bodies of the European Union. However, what does this issue look like on a global scale? Is international cooperation on a global scale sufficient or should it be increased?
Legal norms are introduced in the European Union, which force individual countries to introduce pro-ecological reforms, e.g. in the energy sector and packaging production, in electromobility, etc. Such problems can be solved by international cooperation. This international cooperation should develop not only in Europe but on a global scale, because the global warming process applies to the entire globe. In recent years, also some financial institutions, such as the World Bank, have been allocating increasing amounts of money for pro-ecological investments.
More and more institutions are becoming promoters of the necessary introduction of the principles of sustainable development, but the scale of actions implemented in order to promote sustainable ecological development is still too small.
The European Union plans to create 100% energy by 2050. based solely on renewable energy sources. Is this real? Yes, in my opinion this is real. On December 13, 2019, important news was announced in the media: New Green Deal adopted. This date will go down in history. By 2050, the European Union will achieve climate neutrality, i.e. the increase in greenhouse gas emissions is expected to be stopped and the emissions should be at the absorbed level. The key issue is the correct interpretation of the arrangements for answering the question: what is this climate neutrality supposed to be? - because incorrect interpretations of these findings are already appearing in the media. Experts advising EU decision-making bodies probably count on the fact that by 2050 all Europe will be afforested and most of agriculture and industry will emigrate outside Europe. Afforestation will create forests in which genetically modified trees will absorb several times more CO2 than at present and only electric and / or hydrogen-powered cars will drive on the roads, and many new ecological innovations will be created that we do not yet know.
Unfortunately, in my country still 80 percent. energy in Poland is generated from coal combustion. Unfortunately, my country has not signed a commitment agreement on climate neutrality by 2050, i.e. a commitment to transform the energy sector to 100% by 2050. produce energy based solely on renewable energy sources. I am very sorry about that. I am ashamed of my government that has not signed this agreement. I'm very sorry. In the future, my children and grandchildren will read in history textbooks about this inglorious, wrong decision of my government. Another important question that now appears is: When all the countries of the world sign an analogous agreement and commitment that they will achieve climate neutrality by 2050, i.e. all greenhouse gas emissions, including mainly CO2, will be absorbed, i.e. they will not be realistically generated by human excess greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere?
In line with the above, in my opinion, all countries in the world should sign an analogous agreement as soon as possible and commit themselves to achieving climate neutrality by 2050, i.e. all greenhouse gas emissions, including mainly CO2, will be absorbed, i.e. there will be no real human-generated surplus emissions greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. In this way, it would be possible to significantly slow down the faster and faster global warming process and avoid the climate disaster forecast by climatologists, more often referred to as climate Armageddon, which may occur at the end of the 21st century, if humanity fails to take appropriate quick actions regarding the implementation of pro-ecological reforms in energy and other branches of the economy.
Best wishes
Dariusz Prokopowicz
Do the COP meetings produce more CO2 than they save?
All the airflights and energy consumption from running this conference does more damage than good....
Maybe the money used for this conference can build a windfarm or solar array each year for a different country
It is pretty much too late already. We have wasted too much time
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/australia-hottest-day-record-bushfire-climate-change-spring-bom-a9251101.html
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