INFOGRAPHIC: The difference between 1.5 and 2 degrees warming

Australia is on its way to becoming a renewable super power, with wind and solar farms generating clean electricity in every state and territory. The amount of land required to build renewable energy is a common misconception. The great news is, we don’t actually need that much space to power ourselves with renewables.

Nowhere is our rapid shift towards an economy powered by renewable energy more visible than at the state and territory level, where governments, communities and households are leading the charge. This transformation is dynamic, with different states and territories leading the way on different aspects.

Let’s seize the decade to build a clean economy and cut Australia’s climate pollution 75% by 2030.

Coral reefs are highly vulnerable to climate pollution. Warmer ocean temperatures and other stressors cause coral bleaching events which can damage and destroy coral reefs and the ecosystems the support. Mass coral bleaching is a recent phenomenon. The first global bleaching event occurred in 1998.

Australia continues to fuel the climate crisis through its enormous fossil fuel exports. Australia is the world’s fifth largest overall producer of coal and seventh biggest producer of gas (UNEP 2023a). Most of this is not needed for our own energy needs, and is sold offshore. That’s why Australia is the world’s third largest fossil fuel exporter.

The ocean is at the heart of the earth’s climate system. this means climate change – driven by the burning of coal, oil and gas – is rapidly transforming our oceans as well as our climate.

The faster that we cut greenhouse gas emissions this decade – by phasing out fossil fuels – the better our future.

Every degree of warming matters. The difference between 1.5 degrees and 2 degrees of warming is incredibly significant.

Utes have long been part of work life in Australia, used in particular for construction, mining and agriculture. Some drivers also use them for convenience and recreation, with utes now making up one in five new car sales. The good news is zero emissions electric utes are on the way.