Australia - a country failing to adjust

Written by Karin Chai

If we don't change our actions we are going to bake.  

In spite of worldwide efforts to limit greenhouse gas emissions to 1.5% by 2050 the climate has already warmed by the 1 % from pre-industrial levels and is on track for at least a 2% rise by 2050  and a 3.5% rise by 2100, which  “already  exceeds  the tipping point which  could  push the world  on to an irreversible path  to a “hothouse earth” (Dunlop), even   with some efforts to cut down carbon emissions.(1)

 Many predictions about global warming are over-optimistic because of the delayed impact of temperature changes and because models cannot take all factors (often unknown) and their interrelations into account, nor can they predict cumulative effects (2).  By the  time the  full long-term  impacts of climate change  are  known, it is too late to address  them. Thus the risk is immediate and requires a systematic, full scale approach across all industries and nations. To stay  even below 2 degree warming  global emissions  must peak now and  be reduced  by 9% annually and the chances of meeting this are  only 55-60 % (Dunlop).

The fact is that our climate has become less balanced with more extreme events (storms, severe droughts, fires, desertification) occurring more commonly.  Such disasters like air pollution, flooding etc (3) have severe impacts on the environment but even minor – and more frequently occurring- changes like a drop/increase in temperature have caused the extinction of many species and endangered another 1800 in Australia alone. The rate of extinction is unprecedented and severely limits the biodiversity and, consequent-ly, nature’s ability to regenerate itself.

Another contributing factor is the reckless incremental human destruction of habitat critical to certain species and, especially, the deforestation of large areas. (In QLd alone about 40 million trees are cut down every year for ‘land clearing’4).  And much environmental degradation is due to overgrazing 5), pollution and poor waste management.

Australia is the driest continent, and over time the extremes of its climate have driven many species into narrowly confined ecological niches of survival which are increasingly threatened by ever greater climatic extremes. Any further threat to their habitat will spell their death. Many species need protection from invasion of outsiders.  Moreover, more than 80% of Australia’s population live in urban areas along the coast which will be threatened by rising sea levels.

The impact of global warming on the agriculture, the economy, social and community life as well as public health, physical and mental, are just starting to become felt and are only going to get worse as the cumulative effects of global warming come into play. And since the environment is the backdrop for all human activity have to strive  hard  to achieve zero carbon emissions as  quickly as possible. We simply have to adapt or else we undermine our survival on this continent, which has been pushed to its limits, and on this earth.

According to Garnaut (6 SMH 29-1-2020, ) Australia is well placed to lead the change to a sustainable future since  it  is more richly endowed with sun and wind than any other developed country. ( It  also has a body of traditional Indigenous environmental knowledge and management practices). Garnaut  argues that if Australia takes the lead to become sustainable by way of creating a low carbon industry and by absorbing carbon in the landscape (CSIRO is working on planting kelp to capture carbon) it can become a global leader in sustainability. Like every technological change the creation of new industries would absorb much of the work force and arriving at sustainability first brings many advantages.

Garnaut’s views are fairly optimistic since the proposed  solution  to greenhouse gas emissions relies heavily  on carbon removal from the atmosphere using  negative emissions technology, which at present is not  commercially viable. Thus  the proposed  ‘solutions’ create a false sense of security.

So far Australia seems stuck with its head in the sand with “we are the lucky country” and a criminal negligence  of its duty of care.  It remains the largest per capita polluter among the developed nations(7), it has no overall framework or policy to address carbon emissions (with the short exception of 2015-2017) .  Even under  international pressure it reluctantly  agreed in 2016 in Paris to cut emissions by  2050 by a miserable 26 to 28 percent (compared  to 50 percent  for the UK ), a goal from which it is backsliding (8). Furthermore, it sets a bad example by using dodgy accounting practices (illegally using ‘carry over credits’ from Tokyo), an example which was promptly followed by India (one of the largest polluters).

Australia has taken some steps towards sustainability, like an emissions strategy, an electric vehicle strategy and a technology  road map as well as a push  towards transformation of the electricity industry . But  doing bits and pieces here and there and ‘doing something’ is not enough to chart a course to zero emissions. What is needed is an aggressive stance and a deep commitment to tackle everything, to map a pathway for all industries towards sustainability.

This means Australia has to stop subsidizing the fossil fuel industries  (annually $42 billion, according to Dunlop),  introduce  carbon pricing,  and provide a framework to guide investments into green technologies. Moreover it has  to protect species and biodiversity across the board, including protection of  habitats, and to stop and reverse, as far as possible, environmental degradation   and subsidize efforts  to that purpose.  The Australian Climate Round Table proposal also includes ”environmental integrity, economic efficiency, trade  competitiveness, social equity and more” (SMH 31-1- 2020) in the requirements.

Politicians, with few exceptions, do not have the will to tackle change and tremble at the thought of further carbon emission cuts, or at touching the holy coal cow (9), and at the thought  of “big government”. They rather go backward (10). Admittedly, Australia’s clumsy constitution does not foster a nation-wide policy approach but locks federal and state governments in futile competition and blame and responsibility pushing games. The only general national forum for discussion is the quarter yearly COAG meeting which is not enough.

On the whole the  Australian governments  prefer to beat around the  bush and are doing  little  to encourage a rational discourse on climate change. (11) In a  recent letter 80 concerned scientists argue that “there are  no policies  in Australia to do what is needed” and are urging the government “to acknowledge the threat posed by climate change, to cut greenhouse gases and safeguard against catastrophe (SMH 29-1-2020).

The  Australian public in general also seems to be lagging far behind  other nations, having one of the highest living standards in the world, and wanting ever increasing consumption levels. There is little public discourse about carbon footprints and the need to cut consumption  and  switch to a small is beautiful approach. Australians are happy wasters of food (12), water and consumer goods and generally don’t recognize the immediacy, strength and risks of global warming. Neither do they in general connect the impacts of environmental degradation on resources, social inequality, unrest and migration patterns.  (13)

But time is running out! Australia’s do nothing approach results in failure to deal strategically  with threatening  processes when the Australian climate is already pushing many plant and animal species, if not all,  to the very  limits ( bats falling  out of trees, insects, birds and amphibious animals  dying etc etc).

 The failure to now resolutely attack greenhouse gas emissions and work towards sustainability, to set clear cut goals for all industries and establish a framework which  ensures a level playing  field  for carbon neutral enterprises, will cost  Australia  dearly. We need to get serious with efficient laws and regulations, monitoring  of progress and we need to care of our precious, unique  environment  rather than  simply exploit it.

FACTS:

·         According to the Department of Environment’s report ( Dec 2019) emissions are projected to drop by 16 per cent by 2030 from 2005 levels – 10 per cent short of the target.  ( Even the Emissions Reduction Fund  never tackled fossil fuels, the main contributor to climate change, so pollution has kept rising.)

·         In  2017/18 just 9.4% of plastic  was recycled ( less than in 2005). To meet its national target of  70% of plastic  reprocessing  by 2025 the reprocessing  would have to increase by 400%.  (SMH 27-1-20).

·         Australia  has 1,800 threatened  species  but has not listed any  critical  habitats   since  2005 ( Guardian March 2018), and  only 5 places  in total have been registered.  ( Even though the  Conservation Foundation  pushed  for the listing of land  to protect 60  species)

·         Australia  does not follow  the international  RED LIST   guidelines for threatened  species, therefore lists  are  incomplete   and vague

·         From July 2020 on all exports of plastic  for reprocessing  are  forbidden  but the local industry is in no shape  to take  care of it.

·         The Environmental Protection and  Biodervisty  Act (1999)makes  the deliberate  destruction of  species- critical habitat an offence, but only on CW land, not on privately or state-owned land (!!) and the minister can still override it

·         Because  the listing of  critical habitats  is  not  done properly interventions  to save  endangered species  are often  costly and/or ineffective ( because  diffuse  versus  specific threats are not identified).

·         EU  countries are  considering “carbon border adjustment  mechanism” to protect European businesses  from  countries without a carbon price.

·         Big multinational  companies ( incl. BHP, Rio Tinto, Australia Post , Coles etc) , superfunds  and The Global Compact Network ( with more  than 12000 affiliates)  know  that  they are liable  and are pressuring the  government ( and Australian Business Council)  to become  more ”aggressive and  ambitious”   and to  commit to limit  global warming  to 1.5 percent.

Notes:

1)    Ian Dunlop, former chair of the Australian coal association , argues that  we  are on track  for  a 4.5$ increase  which would be ‘incompatible with any organised society”  and  lead  to a situation described  by security experts as “outright social chaos”.

2)    like CO2 emissions of the melting tundra or the impact of  changed  flows of  cold  and  warm water  in the oceans, the impact of  melting ice  caps and  glaciers on the species  that depend on them , on weather patterns etc.

3)    This year bushfires have  already burnt through 12 million hectares  across  Australia  (one and a  half  times the size  of Tasmania), destroying millions  of animals, apart from damage  to humans and their property.

4)     

Australia is the worst deforestation land in the developed world. QLD  alone cuts every year  as many trees    down as does Brasil (  with 1000 trees  per hectar this amounts  to 40 million trees  per annum.  “Land clearing” for pasture  continues  unabated  with native deforestation ( with an increase in drought , extinction of  species , and  salination),  which  makes  the government’s  community project of planting  20 million trees  at a  cost of $ 50 million  per year  ridiculous.

4)  Overstocking  of cattle ( up to 440 per cent) is the norm in WA Southern rangelands and the resulting  degradation of the environment in the grazing  country emerged already in the 1930s, “outback Armageddon” ( Pollock: The Wolleen Way,  Renewing an Australian Resource  quoted in SMH 29-1-2020). Now  erosion and lack of  biodiversity threaten  the  ability of the  country to regenerate itself.  In 2014 70per cent of the leases in the  Southern Rangelands  were  considered  ‘unviable’, but    leases have been granted anyway, with decreasing levels of  monitoring and  without  development of  a policy.

5) see  Bruce Pascoe: The  Dark Emu,  depicts   sophisticated  Indigenous society and  complex  agricultural practices.  Also compare the practice of  cultural burning to backburning  etc)

6) The Paris agreement tried to get nations to make an initial   commitment and to keep upgrading it incrementally to eventually achieve the levels of net-zero-emissions in the world. The initial  goal  was  to keep  global warming at a level not higher than 1.5% ( at which 70-90 percent of the  corals  in the Great Barrier Reef will be  bleached), but the commitments made actually put the world on track for a 3%  increase or more.

7) Australia’s  argument that it is  an insignificant polluter- ‘with 3%  of  global emissions’ is  not correct if  Australia’s  coal  exports   as  well as  current coal and LNG expansion plans are taken into account.  (Dunlop) Further,  the  emissions  by bushfires – which are  partly due  to Australia’s neglect  to take  care of the  environment – should be   included  in the national accounts as well . And these alone would change the numbers.

8.The decision about  coal is ultimately in the hands  of the buyers. It is interesting  that BHP  and  Rio Tinto are already committed  to a  carbon neutral future.  How the  lack of climate action impacts even on  mining  has been shown  by the biggest gold mine  in  NSW threatening to cut down production because of lack of water.

9) However, there  are some  shining exceptions  like Andrew Forrest  who made  a  $ 70 million donation to  create a  research center which is  to “prduce an Australian blueprint for  fire  resilience

9)The Abbott  government abolished the carbon pricing system which had been operating for2 years.  And The Morrison  government ceased contributions to the UN Green Climate  Fund (SMH 28-1-2020) which helps developing nations and small islands to cope with impacts of climate change.  Also, because of the demolition and subsequent  lack of a  framework  for large scale renewable energy  investments in that sector have  halved  from $10.7 billion  in 2018 to $4.5 billion in 2019. (SMH 1-2-2020)

10) The  2019 Rabobank Food Waste  Report rates  Australia  as the  4^th highest food  waster per capita in the  world, with 9 out of  10 Australians wasting  food  worth more than  $ 10.1 billion . (29-1-2020, SMH).

11)The public is continually misled about  Australia’s  contribution to    greenhouse gas  emissions when government  sources keep stating that Australia  contributes only  1 %  and conveniently ignore the fact that per  capita  of population  it is the biggest  greenhouse  gas   polluter in the world.