Should Australia's fossil fuel exports be counted in its share of global carbon emissions?

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has long suggested Australia can do little to influence the Earth's changing climate because its emissions make up just 1.3 per cent of the world total.

Should Australia's exported fossil fuel be
counted in its share of global carbon emissions?

The imputation, by extension, is we're too small to make a difference.

Such arguments have been made possible — in part — thanks to the international carbon accounting methodology most commonly used to apportion greenhouse gas emissions to individual countries.

Sometimes referred to as territorial-based carbon accounting, this system attributes emissions only to activity that takes place within a country's borders; for example, through the combustion of coal for power generation.

Read the ABC News story by Josh Gordon - “Should Australia's fossil fuel exports be counted in its share of global carbon emissions?”

Whichever way you spin it, Australia’s greenhouse emissions have been climbing since 2015

Let me explain how to see through the spin on Australia’s rising greenhouse emissions figures.

Angus Taylor.

With the release today of Australia’s emissions data for the December 2018 quarter, federal energy and emissions reduction minister Angus Taylor has been more forthcoming than usual about the rising trend in Australia’s emissions.

There’s one small issue, though. Despite Taylor’s comments in which he sought to explain away Australia’s 0.7% year-on-year rise in emissions as a product of increased gas investment, actual emissions in the December quarter were in fact down relative to the September 2018 quarter. This is due mainly to the fact that people use much more energy for heating in the July-September period than they do during the milder spring weather of October-December. 

Taylor, meanwhile, was discussing the “adjusted” data, which reveals an 0.8% increase between the two quarters. 

Read the story from The Conversation  by Tim Baxter - “Whichever way you spin it, Australia’s greenhouse emissions have been climbing since 2015."

'Climate of Change' on Four Corners

The struggle to reduce Australia's greenhouse gas emissions.

Climate change policy has been one of the most divisive issues in modern Australian political history. 

It has brought down governments and toppled political leaders.

At times the debate has become so polarised that the average Australian could be forgiven for tuning out.

With a Federal election looming, Four Corners brings the debate back to what is actually happening in the nation right now.

So much focus has been placed on energy policy, electricity prices and the role of coal, but this is only one part of the picture.

Four Corners walks you through key areas of everyday life and industrial production which fuel our carbon emissions - from the cars we drive, the animals we breed to gas we export.

The program investigates whether Australia is on track to deliver on the targets the nation has pledged to fulfil, and what effect the policies of successive governments have had on our emissions.

With activists on both sides of the debate pushing to make the Federal poll a climate election, this is a must watch Four Corners.

U.S. greenhouse gas emissions spiked in 2018 — and it couldn’t happen at a worse time

U.S. carbon dioxide emissions rose an estimated 3.4 percent in 2018, according to new research — a jarring increase that comes as scientists say the world needs to be aggressively cutting its emissions to avoid the most devastating effects of climate change.

The findings, published Tuesday by the independent economic research firm Rhodium Group, mean that the United States now has a diminishing chance of meeting its pledge under the 2015 Paris climate agreement to dramatically reduce its emissions by 2025.

The findings also underscore how the world’s second-largest emitter, once a global leader in pushing for climate action, has all but abandoned efforts to mitigate the effects of a warming world. President Trump has said he plans to officially withdraw the nation from the Paris climate agreement in 2020 and in the meantime has rolled back Obama-era regulations aimed at reducing the country’s carbon emissions.

Read the story from The Washington Post by Chris Mooney and Brady Dennis - “U.S. greenhouse gas emissions spiked in 2018 — and it couldn’t happen at a worse time.”

The ‘War’ on Climate. The Climate ‘Fight.’ Are We Approaching the Problem All Wrong?

Each dead house fly was worth a quarter, my mom told us kids, but I never earned any money. Every time I cornered a fly, I pictured goo marks left on the wall — spots splayed with tiny black guts and twisted legs. My half-hearted swats with an issue of National Geographic gave even the most sluggish fly time to escape.

Illustration: Amelia Bates/Grist

That I genuinely couldn’t hurt a fly might have been something I picked up in church. I grew up attending a Mennonite congregation in Indiana. We weren’t the bonnet-wearing, buggy-riding sort, but we embraced some traditions, like the Anabaptist teaching of nonviolence. This sometimes expressed itself in an instinct for conflict avoidance. I took that further than most, tending to stay away from arguments, competitive sports, and eating meat.

So I was surprised when violence crept into my speech three years ago when I started working as a journalist covering climate change. Some ancient spirit took hold of me, and I found myself deploying the narrative of war. Carbon tax proposals were “battles” to be fought. Greenhouse gas emissions had to be “slashed.” As for climate change itself? Well, that was an issue to “fight” — and “eco-warriors” and “climate hawks” were leading the charge.

Read the Grist story from Medium by Kate Yoder - “The ‘War’ on Climate. The Climate ‘Fight.’ Are We Approaching the Problem All Wrong?”

’Brutal news': global carbon emissions jump to all-time high in 2018

Global carbon emissions will jump to a record high in 2018, according to a report, dashing hopes a plateau of recent years would be maintained. It means emissions are heading in the opposite direction to the deep cuts urgently needed, say scientists, to fight climate change.

Almost all countries are contributing to the rise in emissions,
with China up 4.7%, the US by 2.5% and India by 6.3% in 2018.

The rise is due to the growing number of cars on the roads and a renaissance of coal use and means the world remains on the track to catastrophic global warming. However, the report’s authors said the emissions trend can still be turned around by 2020, if cuts are made in transport, industry and farming emissions.

The research by the Global Carbon Project was launched at the UN climate summit in Katowice, Poland, where almost 200 nations are working to turn the vision of tackling climate change agreed in Paris in 2015 into action. The report estimates CO2 emissions will rise by 2.7% in 2018, sharply up on the plateau from 2014-16 and 1.6% rise in 2017.

Read the story from The Guardian by Damian Carrington - ”’Brutal news': global carbon emissions jump to all-time'Brutal news': global carbon emissions jump to an all-time high in 2018.”

Greta Thunberg speaks in Katowice: ”Our leaders behave like children”

For 25 years countless people have stood in front of the United Nations climate conferences, asking our nation's leaders to stop the emissions. But, clearly, this has not worked since the emissions just continue to rise.

Greta Thunberg.

So I will not ask them anything.

Instead, I will ask the media to start treating the crisis as a crisis. 

Instead, I will ask the people around the world to realize that our political leaders have failed us.

Because we are facing an existential threat and there is no time to continue down this road of madness.

Rich countries like Sweden need to start reducing emissions by at least 15% every year to reach the 2-degree warming target. You would think the media and every one of our leaders would be talking about nothing else – but no one ever even mentions it.

Read the report from COP-24 - “Greta Thunberg speaks in Katowice: ”Our leaders behave like children”.”

Scott Morrison faces test on Paris climate deal

Prime Minister Scott Morrison is facing his first foreign policy test ahead of a regional visit next week, as Pacific leaders urge him to deepen Australia’s cuts to greenhouse gas emissions and cement Australia’s commitment to the Paris agreement on climate change.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison is greeted at Quilpie airport by David Littleproud.

The moves heighten pressure on the new Prime Minister to confirm his stance on the global climate deal as two new cabinet ministers take on the Energy and Environment portfolios amid talk of a policy reset.

Fiji Prime Minister Josaia "Frank" Bainimarama wrote to Mr Morrison on Monday to congratulate him on his elevation while also seeking a commitment to tackle carbon emissions.

“We cannot settle for business as usual and we certainly cannot tolerate any backward steps,” Mr Bainimarama said of the urgent need to address climate change.

“I appreciate Australia’s commitment in this fight so far and I believe that this commitment must grow even stronger moving forward.

Read the story from The Age by David Crowe and Fergus Hunter - “Scott Morrison faces test on Paris climate deal.”

‘Glaring inconsistency': National emissions jump may be underestimated

Australia's greenhouse gases rose for a third consecutive year in 2017, led by emissions from the gas and transport sectors, according to federal government data.

Land-clearing is on the increase in Queensland and NSW
but national emissions are showing a decline, puzzling analysts.

Environmental groups, however, say the true emissions figure may be under – estimated because large-scale land clearing – particularly in Queensland and lately in NSW – is not being accurately represented.

The National Greenhouse Gas inventory for last year, released without fanfare at the end of last week, showed emissions were up 1.5 per cent compared with 2016 to 533.7 million tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalent.

Read Peter Hannam’s story from The Age - “‘Glaring inconsistency': National emissions jump may be underestimated.”

Gas boom fuels Australia's third straight year of rising emissions

Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions continue to soar, increasing for the third consecutive year according to new data published by the Department of Environment and Energy.

Greenhouse gas emissions were driven by an
 increase of 17.6% in natural gas production.

The Turnbull government published new quarterly emissions data late on Friday which reveals Australia’s climate pollution increased by 1.5% in the year to December 2017.

The expansion in LNG exports and production is identified as the major contributor to the increase, but the data shows a jump in emissions across all sectors – including waste, agriculture and transport – except for electricity, the one area that recorded a decrease in emissions.

Read the story bye Lisa Cox from The Guardian -  “Gas boom fuels Australia's third straight year of rising emissions.”

What goes up must come down: It's time for a carbon drawdown budget

There is no carbon budget left for 1.5°C climate warming target, which means that to achieve this outcome every tonne of emissions must be matched by a tonne of drawdown of atmospheric carbon from now on. For that reason, carbon budgets and emissions target should be complemented by a carbon drawdown budget and target.

That's the proposal made by Breakthrough, the Melbourne-based National Centre for Climate Restoration, to the Victorian climate change targets 2021-2030 expert panel, last week.

Read the story from Climate Code Red by David Spratt - “What goes up must come down: It's time for a carbon drawdown budget.”

BP to cap emissions in first step towards fighting climate change

BP’s Chief Executive, Bob Dudley, has told an audience in London that the petroleum giant will place a cap on carbon emissions out to 2025.

Petroleum giant will place a cap on carbon emissions out to 2025.

The plan, outlined in a new report, will see the company take baby steps towards a low-carbon future.

Mr Dudley stated that even as BP grows total carbon emissions each year from now until 2025 will remain no bigger than in 2015 when the Paris climate accord was signed.

Read the ClimateAction story - “BP to cap emissions in first step towards fighting climate change.”

Australia’s emissions rise again in 2017, putting Paris targets in doubt

Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2017 were again the highest on record when unreliable data from sectors including land clearing and forestry are excluded, according to consultants NDEVR Environmental.

Rising greenhouse gas pollution comes despite
 decline in electricity sector emissions.

Even including land clearing, overall emissions show a continued rising trend, which began in about 2011, putting Australia’s commitment under the Paris agreement further out of reach.

The rising greenhouse gas pollution comes despite continued decline in emissions from the electricity sector, following increased renewable energy generation and the closure of Australia’s dirtiest coal power station, Hazelwood.

Read Michael Slezak’s story from The Guardian - “Australia’s emissions rise again in 2017, putting Paris targets in doubt.”

Victorian power bills soar after Hazelwood coal plant closure

Power bills for Victorians have soared one year on from the abrupt closure of the ailing Hazelwood power station but the state has managed to dodge large-scale blackouts and greenhouse gas emissions have dived.

Hazelwood was the biggest coal-fired power station to close in 20 years.

With fewer than six months to prepare for the demise of the brown coal-fired plant in the Latrobe Valley,  authorities had to scramble to minimise the blow from the loss of one-fifth of the state's generation capacity.

Read Cole Latimer’s story from The Age - “Victorian power bills soar after Hazelwood coal plant closure.”

Climate Change Heightens Risk of Mosquito-Borne Disease Outbreaks

Rising global average temperatures due mainly to greenhouse gas emissions will contribute to increases in the distribution areas of four mosquito-borne viruses: Oropouche (OROV), Mayaro (MAYV), Rocio (ROCV), and St Louis encephalitis (SLEV).

Scientists use mathematical models to predict distribution
 areas by 2100 of four arboviruses: Oropouche, Mayaro, Rocio,
 and St Louis encephalitis. 

This finding is from a study published in the journal PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. The research was conducted at Butantan Institute in São Paulo, Brazil, during Camila Lorenz’s PhD with support from FAPESP and supervision by Lincoln Suesdek, a professor in the Parasitology Department at the University of São Paulo’s Biomedical Science Institute (ICB–USP). Flávia Virginio, Thiago Salomão, Breno Aguiar and Francisco Chiaravalloti-Neto, researchers in the same university’s Public Health Department (FSP-USP), also took part.

Read the Science and Technology Research News story - "Climate Change Heightens Risk of Mosquito-Borne Disease Outbreaks.”

Global carbon emissions grow to highest-ever rate

Carbon emissions emitted into the Earth’s atmosphere grew by 1.4 percent in 2017, reaching a historic high of 32.5 gigatonnes.

The world's carbon emissions continue to climb.

This is the headline figure from a new report from the International Energy Agency (IEA), which also found that global energy demand grew by 2.1 percent over the past year. Energy usage has been bolstered by renewed consumption in China and India, which made up 40 percent of the overall increase.

72 percent of this new demand was met by fossil fuels while renewables managed to meet one quarter.

Read the ClimateAction story - “Global carbon emissions grow to highest-ever rate.”

Vaunted plan to cut power emissions will have 'negligible impact’

New analysis has found the Turnbull government’s plan to tackle climate change by cutting greenhouse gas emissions from power generators is superfluous because the pollution cuts would be achieved regardless, largely due to state policies.

The national energy guarantee aims to cut pollution from the electricity sector..

It means the government’s much-heralded national energy guarantee will force an administratively complex overhaul of the national electricity market without applying targets ambitious enough to tackle global warming beyond action already being taken.

But Environment and Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg says the analysis does not consider the need to make electricity supplies more reliable, which is an aim of its proposed policy, along with reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Read Nicole Hasham’s story from The Age - “Vaunted plan to cut power emissions will have 'negligible impact’.”

NT’s largest land-clearing permit faces Supreme Court challenge over climate change

The decision to grant NT's largest single permit for land clearing is being challenged in the Supreme Court out of concern the clearing will ramp up greenhouse gas emissions.

The decision to issue Maryfield Station a permit to clear
 native bushland has been challenged in the Supreme Court.

The case is the first of its kind in the NT and will test the way courts respond to issues around climate change — given the predicted rise in cases that require courts to consider it.

In November last year a permit was approved to clear more than 20,000 hectares of native vegetation at Maryfield Station, 550 kilometres south-west of Darwin.

But the Environment Centre NT questioned the validity of the decision-making process used by the Pastoral Lands Board when it approved the permit — as it was never required to consider the impact on climate change.

Read the ABC News story by Phoebe Hosler and Daniel Fitzgerald - “NT’s largest land-clearing permit faces Supreme Court challenge over climate change.”

Biggest polluters get clear path to hike emissions under plan

Australia’s biggest polluting companies would more easily jack up their greenhouse gas emissions under a Turnbull government proposal that critics say undermines multi-billion dollar efforts to tackle climate change.

The government has proposed loosening the safeguard mechanism,
which limits greenhouse gas emissions from big polluters.

The proposed change was prompted by feedback from businesses, including the petroleum industry, which said emissions rules did not adequately allow their businesses to grow.

The Department of the Environment and Energy last week released a consultation paper outlining planned changes to the "safeguard mechanism", which is supposed to ensure pollution reductions bought through the government’s $2.55 billion Emissions Reduction Fund are not offset by emissions increases elsewhere in the economy.

Read Nicole Hasham’s story in today’s Age - “Biggest polluters get clear path to hike emissions under plan.”

Emissions Reduction Fund is almost empty. It shouldn’t be refilled

Australia’s flagship climate policy, the Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF), has come in for fresh questions over whether the emissions allowances offered to big businesses will wipe out much of the progress made elsewhere.

The Emissions Reduction Fund is not capturing
enough emissions from the most polluting industries.

This voluntary scheme – the central plank of Australia’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 26-28% below 2005 levels by 2030 – allows interested parties to reduce pollution in exchange for a proportion of the A$2.55 billion fund.

So far, through successive rounds of “reverse auctions”, the scheme has secured 191.7 million tonnes of emission reductions, at a price tag of A$2.28 billion.

Read the piece on The Conversation by a Senior Lecturer in Economics from The University of Queensland, Ian A. MacKenzie -  “Emissions Reduction Fund is almost empty. It shouldn’t be refilled.”