Climate Group Disputes Abbott Government Claims Of Cutting Emissions Target In Half; Australia Needs 'Coherent Strategy'

Climate action groups have disputed the claim of the Abbott government that it will hit Australia’s emissions reduction target with Direct Action policy. The Coalition said Direct Action will work following the release of new estimates purportedly showing a drastic decline in the country’s target CO2 emissions.

According to the projections of the Department of Environment, Australia’s carbon emissions target by 2020 has been cut in half due to falling demand for electricity, low agricultural productivity and less manufacturing and mining activities. From an estimated 421 million tonnes of CO2 emissions in 2013, the new projections showed a drop of 236 million tonnes.

Australia’s Environment Minister Greg Hunt said the figures indicated that the country is on track to meet its 2020 emissions target. He added that it was clear the target can be achieved without a “destructive carbon tax,” reports SMH.

However, economist Frank Jotzo from ANU’s Crawford School of Public Policy said if Australia meets its emissions reduction target of 5 percent by 2020, the feat would be described as “luck not by design.” He added that he has observed how emissions “flatline.”

Jotzo warned that the Department of Environment’s data also showed that the country’s emissions were expected to increase again without an effective emissions reduction policy in place. Climate groups have disputed the government report.

Climate Institute chief John Connor said while the government’s report showed declining emissions, there was no evidence to support that the Coalition’s policies are up for the challenge of emissions reduction and economic modernisation. He added that pollution in Australia is predicted to worsen beyond 2020.

Connor said the institute’s climate modelling suggested that a combination of the emission reduction fund, proposed safeguard mechanisms on large emitters and the renewable energy target are not enough to achieve Australia’s 5 percent goal.

The European Union has announced it will be reducing emissions by 40 percent by 2030 while the United States has committed to a 26 to 28 percent target below its 2005 levels in 2025. China has also announced plans to achieve the peak of its CO2 emissions by 2030, reports The Guardian.

Connor said Australia needs a “coherent strategy” to modernise the economy and reduce CO2 emissions to clean up the country’s energy system. The Department of Environment’s projections only show figures without considering abatement from the fund, carbon emissions will increase further by 17 percent by 2020.

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