Reducing Australia’s emissions at home
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has consistently stated that global greenhouse emissions must be declining by 2015 if we want to have a hope of keeping global warming to 2 degrees Celcius. And many Pacific Island nations and scientists are now saying that even 2 degrees is too high and we should be aiming for more like 1.5 or 1 degrees in warming. To get to this global goal, it’s crucial that Australia reduces Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions, starting yesterday!
We want the Government to:
Reduce Australia’s emissions by at least 50% by 2020 (based on 1990 levels). We believe this to be our fair share of a global agreement that would keep global concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to 350 parts per million, the safe upper limit of carbon in the atmosphere. Read more about 350 ppm. (Note: a global scenario of 350ppm hasn’t actually been modeled by the IPCC or Treasury or anyone else, but they have said Australia must reduce emissions 25-40% to do our fair share to get us to 450ppm, so we think it’s reasonable to say 50% by 2020 reduction is our fair share of 350ppm).
The AYCC believes we can do this by:
1. Introducing an effective price on pollution, to make polluters responsible for the greenhouse gas emissions they put into the air; and
2. Investing heavily in renewable energy and energy efficiency to get us to a country powered by 100% renewable energy.
We support a price on pollution that:
- Actually reduces our pollution;
- Can be strengthened over time to reflect what the science tells us is needed;
- Directs revenue associated with the price on pollution towards funding investment in renewable energy and contributing to Australia’s fair share to help developing countries deal with climate change;
- Guarantees fair conditions for affected workers and their communities and provides adequate assistance to low-income households to help them adjust to this major economic reform;
- Industry assistance should maintain investment signals to drive the clean energy transition (i.e. it might be OK to give some money back to big polluters, but only to encourage them to shut down, not to allow them to continue polluting!).
- Gets us on the path to being powered by 100% renewable energy.
So what about the carbon price plan that’s on the table now?
The current carbon price on the table, which is expected to be passed by Parliament late in 2011, doesn’t do all those things, or doesn’t do them enough. However, we do support it because it is able to be strengthened over time (which is the key thing) and does direct lots of revenue to renewable energy, allows the emissions reduction targets to be set after recommendations by an independent authority, includes a study into the barriers in our electricity grid in getting us to 100% renewable energy, and does protect most households, making polluters the ones who pay. It’s good not good enough, but it’s a first step and we can ratchet it up over time.
