According to new analysis the Direct Action plan of the conservative Liberal-National government will not cut carbon emissions as intended by 2020 and the five per cent reduction target is described as “inadequate”.
The analysis by Climate Action Tracker of the Liberal-National government’s Direct Action climate change policy suggests it will result in Australia substantially increasing its carbon emissions by 2020 rather than reducing them below 2000 levels.
AAP Newsagency reports a Climate Action Tracker policy brief suggests while Labor’s Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) would enable Australia to cut emissions by five per cent on 2000 levels, the policy of the government of the Prime Minister Tony Abbott would meet the Kyoto Protocol target.
“The Abbott government’s proposed direct action program lacks the resources to meet the five per cent from 2000 reduction goal and instead could lead to emissions of about 12 per cent above 2000 levels by 2020,” the policy brief states.
Mr Abbott yesterday introduced into parliament a package of bills to repeal Labor’s carbon price laws.
AAP reports he has vowed to replace it with Direct Action focusing on storing carbon in soil and vegetation.
The policy brief, jointly produced by Climate Analytics, Ecofys and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, suggests such carbon sequestration activities are “highly uncertain and unlikely to be viable”.
“But our most recent analysis confirms that Australia’s current legislation, if continued, would be sufficient to meet its unconditional five per cent pledge.”
Climate Analytics director Dr Bill Hare said the carbon price would have bent Australia’s upwards emissions curve downwards for the first time.
Its repeal and replacement with a policy that goes against the science will instead see a likely re-carbonisation of the power sector, he said.
The policy brief also states Australia’s bipartisan five per cent pledge is “inadequate” to keep global warming to two degrees Celsius and is instead consistent with a temperature increase of up to four degrees Celsius.
Dr Hare, a lead author of the 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, believes the coalition isn’t interested in serious action.
In Poland for the latest round of UN climate talks, the scientist was critical of the coalition’s decision not to send Environment Minister Greg Hunt to Warsaw.
“It’s not a good signal, people have commented about it,” Dr Hare told AAP.
“If you are looking at everything that’s been said by the government the conclusion you have to draw is that the government isn’t very interested in the international negotiations.”
Dr Hare said if the coalition was genuinely concerned about the lack of ambition in the present round of negotiations “one response would be to come and encourage governments to take further measures”.
