Despite the conservative Liberal-National government rejecting calls to mandate deeper emissions cuts by 2050 a sharp slowdown in the use of transport during the coronavirus pandemic has helped cut the nation’s carbon emissions to their lowest levels in three decades.
Transport emissions fell to 19.2 million tonnes in the three months to the end of June as the coronavirus crisis grounded flights, closed workplaces and restricted movement.
However, the federal government’s latest figures also show a slight rebound in industrial emissions since March after a fall earlier this year, revealing the sudden changes in economic activity and greenhouse gas output through the pandemic.
At the same time the Climate Council environmental think tank has attributed the decline to leadership from states and territories on renewable energy.
The Climate Council claims this has helped drive down Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions, although scientists say we need to do much more to tackle intensifying climate change.
The official figures showed emissions fell to 513.4 million tonnes in the year to June, down from 529.5 million the previous year, an annual fall of 3 per cent and the lowest level since 1998.
Federal Energy Minister Angus Taylor released the report today with a claim the results prove the government can “meet and beat” its commitments as the results are ahead of earlier forecasts for 2020.
In a statement, Mr Taylor said the figures showed the government would beat its 2020 target by 459 million tonnes and would also beat its 2030 target, set at the 2015 United Nations sponsored Paris climate change talks.
While the 459 million figure includes “carry-over credits” from previous periods, an approach criticised by climate change activists, the report shows Australia is ahead of the 2020 target by 316 million tonnes without relying on those credits.
Taking a different view the Climate Council said the Federal Government’s latest emissions data shows that the rollout of renewable energy has continued apace.
Along with COVID and the continued effect of the drought, this rollout has seen a big drop in overall emissions in the 12 months to June 2020 the Climate Council said.
“Every state and territory in Australia has committed to a net zero emissions target and most have clean recovery plans to get their economies back on track, create new jobs and lower power bills,” said the Climate Council’s CEO, Amanda McKenzie.
“In contrast, the Liberal-National government has no credible climate or renewable energy policy.
“The progress we are making belongs to the states and territories, which are showing real climate leadership.
“But we are still far from where climate science says we need to be – and that is costing Australia,” she said.
“With the third mass bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef in five years, prolonged drought and the Black Summer fires, it is time for the federal government to put its money where its mouth is and start investing in renewable energy,” said Ms McKenzie.
“The good news is it looks like the federal government is starting to see that renewables and energy storage technologies create jobs and huge opportunities for Australians,” she said.
“Until we are doing everything, we possibly can to avert the climate crisis; then we are not doing enough,” said Ms McKenzie.
The government figures show the biggest change over the past year came in the three months to the end of June, when emissions fell to 122.7 million tonnes compared to 129 million in the March quarter.
Most of that fall came from a decline in transport emissions to 19 million tonnes from 24.2 million in the March quarter.
“This decline in transport emissions was partly the result of a 7.9 per cent annual decline in petrol consumption associated with the impacts of the COVID pandemic,” said the quarterly report from the Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources.
Transport emissions include passenger and commercial vehicles, domestic aviation,coastal shipping, diesel rail transport and the transmission of natural gas.
Electricity sector emissions declined 4.3 per cent over the year including a fall to 41.7 million tonnes in the June quarter compared to 44.2 million tonnes in the March quarter.
Industrial processes, however, rose to 8.7 million tonnes in the three months to June compared to 8 million in the preceding quarter.
The annual greenhouse gas output is 16.6 per cent below the levels of 2005, the baseline year for the federal government’s pledge to reduce emissions by 26 to 28 per cent by 2030.
Federal opposition Labor energy spokesman Mark Butler has again called on the government to embrace a “net zero” target for 2050, claiming Australia would be isolated as other countries including the United States set this target.
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