Increases in extreme heat events in the Kimberley region will have severe impacts on the wellbeing of people in the region, particularly indigenous communities. It will also impact key industries, including tourism and agriculture, and damage natural ecosystems.
According to a new report released today, rather than reduce its emissions today Australia is claiming it can rely on ‘credits’ generated decades ago under old accounting rules in a separate treaty that have no place in the Paris regime.
The report commissioned by the Australia Institute from Climate Analytics, examines the nature, scale and legal implications of Australia’s proposed use of ‘Kyoto carryover’ credits to meet its obligations under the Paris Agreement.
Key findings:
On climate policy Australia scores zero out of 100.
As Energy Minister Angus Taylor prepares to address the UN climate talks in Madrid, the latest edition of the annual Climate Change Performance Index has Australia dropping one place to 56th – ahead of only Iran, South Korea, Chinese Taipei, Saudi Arabia and the USA – and scoring zero out of 100 on climate policy.
New Research from The Australia Institute has revealed that a majority (62%) of Australians support a national target of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 or earlier.
While every Australian State and Territory already has a target of reaching net zero emissions by 2050, the Federal Government has refused to commit to the policy. The research has been released ahead of Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction Angus Taylor’s appearance at the United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP 25, in Madrid this week.
Key findings:
The Queensland Government has announced its royalty deal arrangement with Adani, due by Saturday 30th November 2019, has been delayed yet again and no new deadline has been set.
“This loan deal should never have been on the table, it is against Queensland’s interests and will be to Queensland’s shame if it is waved through,” said Richie Merzian, Climate & Energy Director at the Australia Institute.
“For this announcement to be delayed yet again, this time with no new deadline set, shows just how absurd this whole process has been.
Welcome to the November 2019 issue of the NEEA Electricity Update, with data updated to the end of October 2019. The Electricity Update presents data on electricity demand, electricity supply, and electricity generation emissions in the National Electricity Market (NEM), plus electricity demand in the South West Interconnected System (SWIS). Since the start of 2018 we have been charting the rapid growth in wind and solar generation. There can be no doubt that Australia’s electricity system is well along the road to a fundamental transition in terms of both the means by which electricity is generated and the system through which electricity is supplied to consumers.
New research shows that coal-fired electricity generation is on the decline across the National Electricity Market (NEM), particularly in Victoria where the continued shut down of the Loy Yang A power station has put Victorian coal generation levels at their lowest since the National Energy Market commenced 21 years ago.
The Australia Institute Climate & Energy Program has released their latest National Energy Emissions Audit, analysing the electricity sector over the previous month.
Key Findings:
by Fergus Green & Richard Denniss
[Originally published in the Australian Financial Review, 26 November 2019]
The amount of fossil fuels that companies and governments around the world expect to extract over the coming decade is startlingly out of kilter with the imperative to maintain a stable climate system - and Australia is a large part of the problem.
Under the Paris Agreement, countries have set the goal of limiting global heating to well below 2°C, and preferably 1.5°C, above pre-industrial levels.
New research from The Australia Institute has found that, for the first time, more than four in five South Australians (84%) support World Heritage Protection for the Great Australian Bight. That is a 7% increase, when compared to polling undertaken in March of 2019.
The research also shows that two out of three South Australians (66%) believe the Bight would be a more productive asset for the state as a World Heritage listed marine park, than it would be as an oil field.
Key Findings
New Research from The Australia Institute’s Climate & Energy Program has identified serious concerns with hydrogen demand projections, regularly cited by State and Federal Governments, energy experts and industry figures, which overstate potential export demand by a factor of up to 11.
Due to this supposedly high demand, COAG Ministers will be asked to support the development of fossil fuel hydrogen projects, which rely heavily on controversial and as yet unsuccessful carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies.
