Australia Urged to Reduce Carbon Emissions Further, Long-Term Budget Not Enough

Australia will need to cut back carbon emissions further to bridge the gap between climate change commitments and what scientists believe is necessary. Ecofys, a European consultancy firm, has published a report that estimates Australia will need to reduce carbon emissions by at least 27 per cent by 2020. By 2030, the country will have to cut 82 per cent of carbon to honour its commitment to prevent global warming.

The Ecofys report came as the Climate Change Authority is preparing to release its recommendations for how much carbon Australia needs to reduce and how quickly it should be done. Former Reserve Bank of Australia governor Bernie Fraser serves as the head of the Climate Change Authority and is also involved in the drafting of recommendations for carbon emission cuts.

The Climate Change Authority will release the report despite the Coalition's plan to abolish the agency as part of its agenda to dismantle any policy before Tony Abbott became Prime Minister.

Australia's greenhouse target on 2020 should be increased beyond 5 per cent as recommended by economists Ross Garnaut and Frank Jotzo. The new target should be moved to 15 per cent like based on other nations' current targets.

Environmental group World Wildlife Fund (WWF) commissioned the report with findings that Australia has already given off at least two-thirds of its allowable emission under a "carbon budget." To reduce global warming to at least less than 2 degrees, countries would need to follow that budget.

The report said that if emissions continue at the current level, Australia will reach its long-term budget of 18 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide in ten years. It was estimated that Australia will have zero emissions by 2050 since it will draw carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Kellie Caught from WWF Australia said the country has almost reached its carbon budget and urged the government to make reduce 25 per cent of carbon emissions.

Meanwhile, the Climate Change Authority will base its recommendations on Australia's climate budget on climate science, other nations' commitments and social impact of the proposed carbon cuts.

UN adviser warns Tony Abbott

An adviser for the United Nations warns that climate change is linked with Australia's bushfires. Senior climate change official Christiana Figueres said there was a clear link between the fires in NSW and climate change which Prime Minister Tony Abbott dismissed.