Page 20 - IB Mar 2020

Climate change Climate change

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison (left) and Energy Minister Angus Taylor. Photo: Supplied

GAINING CREDIT FOR KYOTO

AUSTRALIA FUDGES EMISSIONS TARGETS

By Nic Maclellan include all sectors of the economy, while others exclude
certain sectors (agriculture, land clearing and deforestation,
The global coronavirus pandemic has pushed climate transport, energy etc). Australia’s Department of Foreign
change off the front pages, but the challenge of responding to Affairs and Trade (DFAT) states: “Under the Paris Agreement,
the climate emergency has not disappeared. Australia has committed to reduce emissions by 26-28 per
Global emissions of greenhouse gases will likely drop in cent below 2005 levels by 2030. This builds on our target
coming months, as air travel is reduced, international trade under the Kyoto Protocol to reduce emissions by five per cent
falters and many countries prepare for economic recession. below 2000 levels by 2020.”
But later this year, governments must decide how to resume At the 2019 Pacific Islands Forum in Tuvalu, Prime Minister
global negotiations to implement the 2015 Paris Agreement on Morrison repeatedly stressed that Australia is on track to
Climate Change. The next Conference of the Parties (COP) to “meet and beat” these Kyoto and Paris targets. This was
the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is reaffirmed in Australia’s official statement to COP25 in
scheduled for Glasgow, Scotland, in November this year. Madrid, when Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction
If governments come together on schedule, the battle will Angus Taylor said: “Our recently released forecasts say that
resume over Australia’s proposal to use “carryover credits” to we expect to beat our 2020 targets by 411 million tonnes,
meet its targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. As the which is around 80 per cent of a full year of emissions.”
largest member of the Pacific Islands Forum, Australia stands This magic figure of 411 million tonnes comes from
alone in the belief that it can meet its Paris Agreement target Canberra’s latest official emissions projections, released in
for emissions reduction by using credits obtained under the December 2019. They state that Australia went beyond its
Kyoto Protocol, when it ends. target for the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol
(2008–2012), gaining credit for 128 million tonnes of Co2
UNDERSTANDING THE NUMBERS equivalent (Mt CO2-e). Further emissions reductions in the
The measurement of emissions has been debated since the second Kyoto period (2013-2020) bring the total credits to 411
1997 adoption of the Kyoto Protocol to the UNFCCC. Coming million tonnes.
into force in 2005, Kyoto’s first commitment period ran There are two key reasons that Australia went beyond
from 2008 to 2012, with a second commitment period from its Kyoto targets. Firstly, Australia had very high domestic
2013 until this year. From 2020, the provisions of the Paris emissions from deforestation in 1990, the baseline year
Agreement on Climate Change come into play. to measure targets. With reduced land clearing and
Unlike Kyoto, which set binding emissions reduction deforestation in subsequent years, overall emissions reduced
targets for just 36 industrialised countries and the European without the need to cut as much greenhouse gas from coal-
Union, the Paris Agreement is legally binding for 194 states, fired power stations or energy-intensive manufacturing
both developed and developing; the United States under industries like aluminium and cement.
President Donald Trump is the only nation that has announced The second source of credits comes from tough Australian
its withdrawal after signing the treaty. Under the Paris diplomatic tactics during the Kyoto negotiations. Instead
Agreement, countries make a voluntary emissions reduction of a reduction of emissions, the Howard government won
commitment – known as a Nationally Determined Contribution an increase of 8 per cent in its emissions in the first Kyoto
– with a target set for 2030. commitment period. For the second Kyoto period, only a
The debate over emissions reductions and carryover credits minimal 0.5 per cent reduction was required. With far less
can be confusing, as countries use different baselines to ambitious targets than other comparable developed countries,
set their targets. Some commitments to reduce emissions Australia is now claiming to have “overachieved.”

20 Islands Business ,March 2020