Delaying the downward trajectory Australia needs in order to hit the country’s United Nations sponsored Paris Agreement climate goals Australia’s carbon emissions appear to have edged higher in the final quarter of the 2018-19 financial year.
According to Ndevr Environmental Consultants, an environmental auditing company with a track record of accurately estimating the nation’s emissions national emissions are projected to have reached 134.6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (Mt CO2-e) in April-June 2019.
That total would come in about 900,000 tonnes of CO2-e more than for the previous three months, Ndevr said in a report based on public data and sector estimates.
The tally would be less, by a similar amount, than the fourth quarter of 2017-18.
For the whole year, emissions were modestly higher than for previous 12 months, marking three consecutive years of increases.
Excluding land-use changes, such as deforestation or tree planting, annual emissions have risen for the five years since the conservative Liberal-National government of then Prime Minister Tony Abbott government scrapped the former Labor government’s carbon price in 2014.
“Emissions are flattening out but it’s not good enough,” Matt Drum, Ndevr’s managing director, told Nine Media.
“Australia needs a significant decrease to get anywhere near the Paris goals.”
Nine Media reports a Senate order requires the federal government release official quarterly figures within five months of the end of the respective period.
The fourth quarter data is due out by the end of next month.
In line with recent quarters, rises in emissions in the booming Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) sector have negated a drop in pollution from the electricity industry as renewable power continues to expand, pushing out coal- and gas-fired power, Ndver estimated.
The worsening drought also cut emissions from agriculture.
Angus Taylor, the Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction in Australia’s conservative Liberal-National government, told Nine Media that while the government would not pre-empt the official figures, “we can confirm that they will take into account the government’s $3.5 billion Climate Solutions Package which accounts for every tonne of abatement needed to meet our 2030 Paris target”.
“Australia’s international emissions reporting is world class,” Mr Taylor said.
“We have a comprehensive and timely reporting program for emissions.”
The opposition Labor Party, the Australian Greens Party and environmental groups have criticised the government’s emissions stance, not least its plan to meet about half of Australia’s Paris Agreement target by counting projected “credits” from the current Kyoto Protocol period that ends in 2020.
An environment department official told Senate estimates last week no other country has indicated it would use Kyoto “carryover” credits for their Paris goals.
Germany, New Zealand and the United Kingdom are among nations to rule them out.
Mr Drum told Nine Media Australia’s emissions trajectory would see it overshoot the 2030 Paris Agreement target by 860 million tonnes of CO2 or equivalent gases, or about 1.6 years of its entire annual pollution at current rates.
For instance, the so-called safeguard mechanism introduced by then environment minister Greg Hunt for the 100-plus largest emitting sites had failed to stop pollution rising.
Companies had found ways to tap loopholes to lift emissions about seven per cent in the most recent annual statistics, he said.
“The carrot’s not working and there’s no stick,” Mr Drum added.
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One Response
So Mr Taylor if “Australia’s international emissions reporting is world class,” how come you aren’t clever enough to read and understand what the reports are telling you. ??
Maybe its because with your head in the sand you can’t see the words!