Transport emissions continue to rise as Australia lags behind other nations

Australia is lagging behind other developed nations in the race to curb greenhouse gas emissions from transport, according to a new report.

 Rush hour traffic in Melbourne. Australia ranks behind
Russia and Mexico in green transport efficiency due to
 policy inaction, a new report has found.

The report from the Climate Council, due to be released on Thursday, finds that Australia’s transport-related emissions have continued to rise because of policy inaction.

The nation’s move to electric vehicles has been hampered by a lack of incentives and a lack of mandatory pollution standards for vehicles, which have been implemented in almost all other OECD countries.

Read the story from The Guardian by Luke Henriques-Gomes - “Transport emissions continue to rise as Australia lags behind other nations.”

Do we stand accused of a 'crime against humanity'?

Governments around the world have done little to mitigate global warming and in their own way have each played a part in what is global crime against humanity.

That might be extreme, but every indicator points to a rapidly increasing loss of species and a serious deterioration of earth’s climate system, both things that will make it significantly difficult, bordering on impossible, for humans to survive.

Humanity, because of behaviour by humanity, is under serious threat, from itself.

Prof Mary Wood.

Various nations are quick to jump upon others which act in a way that offends their sensibilities, global warming is global and so it is impossible to point the finger of blame at any one nation, although the developed nations are without question the most significant contributors to carbon dioxide emissions.

University of Oregon law Professor Mary Wood has argued in a story on Environment 360 headed: “A legal call to arms to remedy environmental and climate ills” that environmental laws in the U.S. are simply not working.

She believes a new strategy and robust judicial intervention are needed to protect nature and the climate.