Australia’s climate and energy debate has been branded as among the worst in the world, by the powerful head of the International Energy Agency (IEA), who also warned developed countries were “not even close” to achieving the emissions reduction needed to combat global warming.
Dr Fatih Birol also lamented the collapse of Australia’s National Energy Guarantee (NEG) during last year’s conservative Liberal Party leadership dispute, expressed “pity” that Australia has missed opportunities to mitigate the impact of coal, and backed MPs exploring the feasibility of small-scale nuclear power plants.
“I find the Australian energy debate far too emotional, far too nervous and far too hot. It is hotter than the climate change itself,” Dr Birol, the IEA’s executive director, told the Nine Enertainment owned newspapers The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.
“As a person who loves Australia, has Australian friends and knows wonderful people in Australia on both sides of politics, may I suggest a bit calmer, result-oriented discussion?”
In an interview at the IEA’s Paris headquarters, the Turkish economist and energy expert said Australia was in the “top three” countries around the globe where the energy debate was off the rails.
The drought, bushfire crisis and record-breaking temperatures have fuelled a fresh debate about climate change and whether the conservative Liberal-National government, led by Prime Minister Scott Morrison, is doing enough to lower emissions by 26 to 28 per cent by 2030 as set out under the United Nations sponsored Paris Agreement climate accord.
While Dr Birol would not explicitly list Australia as a country not meeting its emissions reduction goal, he said the global community was “absolutely off track”.
“We are not even close to the Paris Agreement goals and what I find very dangerous is that there is a growing disconnect between the calls from scientists and what is happening in real life,” he said.
“Almost the entire world is far from meeting the Paris targets. I don’t want to single out this country or that country. Honestly, it is the entire world. You cannot show me one country which says ‘I have this amount of emissions’ and ‘I am making this big decline’.”
National emissions have been rising in Australia since the abolition of the carbon price legislation, but flatlined in the last financial year due to the drought and growth in renewable energy.
“In no country, especially a developed country like Australia, increases in emissions is not good news. We have to see emissions decline,” Dr Birol said.
He said Australia was a “responsible country” and “should take steps in line with the reputation it has around the world”.
Newly released Department of Environment and Energy projections shows Australian carbon dioxide emissions would need to fall by 462 mega-tonnes between 2021 and 2031 to achieve the 28 per cent reduction pledged at Paris.
The government has argued it will achieve that by cutting pollution as well as using controversial ‘carry-over’ credits from the now expiring Kyoto Protocol.
Dr Birol, who is also the chair of the World Economic Forum’s energy advisory board, said the overwhelming percentage of global emissions originated from the energy sector and urged a technology agnostic approach to the dilemma.
“Without fixing the problems in the energy sector and sorting out that, we have no chance of reaching our climate goals,” he said.
“I know the lifetime of the NEG was not very long, but I still believe that there is a system needed in Australia which brings emissions down, and secures electricity supply.
“This is very important and I hope the discussions do not become victim to political ambitions.”
Describing coal as the “nerve centre” of the climate debate, the IEA chief conceded Australia would remain a major exporter to the booming Asian market but said other technologies were available to mitigate domestic reliance on fossil fuels, citing carbon capture and storage, hydrogen and solar.
“You have the financial means, you have the citizens who support it and you have the wonderful innovative brains within the country,” Dr Birol said, adding he felt “so much pity” Australia had not led on carbon capture and storage technology.
“The Australian energy debate should have much wider perspective,” he said.
“Rather than looking only at one tree, we should see the whole forest that is there.”
Asked whether a renewed pro-nuclear push by some government MPs was sensible or realistic, Dr Birol said the development of small modular reactors, which are constructed offsite and being piloted in China and the United Kingdom, should be monitored closely by Australia.
The Australian Energy Market Operator has predicted a 15-year time frame to get a small modular reactor on-line in Australia, which would make it an option to replace some coal-fired power stations over the next 20 years.
“If people are really serious about finding a solution to climate change, I think you don’t have a simple or single solution, we need all technologies and for me nuclear is one of them,” Dr Birol said.
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