If we’re serious about tackling climate change, we must stop funding the problem

01.12.15 By
This article is more than 8 years old

 

 

A NEW mine planned for the Galilee Basin could undo almost all of Australia’s emissions cuts, highlighting the lacklustre nature of Australia’s contribution on day one of the Paris climate talks.

A new report released today found the Carmichael Mine would see an increase in global emissions greater than the planned emission cuts of Australia, Canada, Mexico, Norway and Switzerland, between 2012 and 2025 and would cancel out almost all of Australia’s post 2020 reductions.

The revelation further puts the spotlight on Australia’s mediocre start to day one of the Paris climate talks, in which Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull reaffirmed his commitment to weak pollution reduction cuts by ratifying the second period of the Kyoto Protocol but refusing to increase the minimum 2020 target.

This is despite the Climate Change Authority advising that the conditions in the UN agreement that would require Australia to submit to a higher target have already been met.

What’s more, on the same day that the Prime Minister announced he planned to double Australia’s investment in clean energy research and development, he also refused to sign a statement pledging to phase out fossil fuel subsidies – it just doesn’t make sense for the Australian Government to boost investment in clean energy research while at the same time giving fossil fuels a leg up over renewables with $4 billion every year in subsidies to coal, oil and gas.

If the government wants to protect Australians from even worse impacts of climate change, it’s time to give renewables a fair go.