Climate change claim questioned

I note the comments made by Federal Member for Nicholls Damian Drum (News, February 4) and would contest many of his facts and statements but none more than his contention that ‘‘Australia leads the world’’.

This claim couldn’t be further from the truth on the international stage where Australia has played a destructive role from Kyoto negotiations in 1997 to the most recent gathering of nations in Madrid last year, with its intention to use Kyoto ‘‘credits’’ to meet its Paris Agreement targets.

"Those credits are highly
contentious" - John Pettigrew.

These ‘‘credits’’ are highly contentious for two reasons: how they were achieved and the intention to use these credits to weaken Australia’s response to the Paris Agreement.

Australia’s Kyoto delegation was dominated by representatives of the fossil fuel industries and led by Coalition Environment Minister Senator Robert Hill.

Throughout these negotiations Australia demanded special treatment, despite being one of the most affluent of developed countries and the highest per capita emitter in the world.

Australia negotiated a target at Kyoto in 1997 which allowed an increase in Australia’s greenhouse emissions by eight per cent above 1990 levels, three per cent higher than other developed countries.

Not satisfied with this concession, the Australian delegation then demanded what is known as ‘‘the Australia clause’’, which allowed the inclusion of carbon emission credits from reduced land clearing.

This inclusion allowed Australia’s emissions from fossil fuels to potentially rise by 25 to 30 per cent above 1990 levels as land clearing (not occurring in other developed countries) had already reduced dramatically at the time.

The Howard Government then, after demanding these concessions and undermining global emission targets, refused to ratify the Kyoto Agreement.

Australia, in announcing its intention to use ‘‘surplus’’ Kyoto credits to achieve its modest Paris targets, has again put our country at odds with the rest of the world and is again holding back global action to reduce emissions.

The Coalition Government was elected with an emission reduction target of 26 to 28 per cent by 2030 on 2005 levels, a clear mandate.

However, the use of ‘‘Kyoto credits’’ was never mentioned before or during this election and cannot be seen in any way as being endorsed by the electorate.

In September last year, Prime Minister Morrison twice told Today our per capita emissions would fall by half between now and 2030: ‘‘We will reduce our carbon emissions per capita by half between now and 2030.

‘‘Our per capita emissions will fall by half over the next 10 years.’’

If, as Prime Minister Morrison insists, Australia will meet its Paris targets ‘‘in a canter’’, why would Australia continue to threaten the use of Kyoto credits?

Australia should drop any intention to use these dubious credits and join with nations of the world to ensure that realistic and ambitious carbon reduction targets are set and met.

Letter from John Pettigrew, Bunbartha, published in The Shepparton News - “Climate change claim questioned”