Australia not on track to hit Paris emissions goals, as UN warns global efforts must increase

Australia is among a number of countries currently not on track to meet their unconditional Paris carbon emissions reduction targets by 2030, a United Nations (UN) report has warned.

Current emissions reduction targets won't hold the world to 2C of warming.

The 2018 Emissions Gap Report released today by UN Environment shows that global emissions have hit a historic high and are showing "no signs of peaking”.

Australia is listed as a G20 country that will not meet its 2030 target — alongside Canada, Argentina, EU28, the Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the United States.

Under the Paris agreement, Australia's aim is to reduce emissions by 26-28 per cent on 2005 levels.

Read the ABC News story by Nick Kilvert - “Australia not on track to hit Paris emissions goals, as UN warns global efforts must increase.”

Hot air: only four clean energy options on track for Paris targets

The International Energy Agency says only four out of 38 clean energy technologies are on track to help hit the Paris climate change emissions reduction targets.

Most energy technologies are seen as slowly getting
 off track to meet their Paris climate change agreement targets.

The IEA’s latest report has found only solar panels, LED lights, electric vehicles and data centre energy management technology are on track to help the world meet its energy and carbon dioxide emissions sustainability goals.

Wind generation, hydropower, gas and batteries were all recognised as needing more development to achieve the Paris climate target of a two-degree reduction in temperatures below pre-industrial levels. Coal-fired and geothermal power were described as completely off track.

Read Cole Latimer’s story from The Age - “Hot air: only four clean energy options on track for Paris targets.”

Environment Minister Josh Frydenberg says energy deal is close

Environment and Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg is confident of striking a deal with the states on a national plan to merge climate and energy policy, but remains adamant he won't yield to demands by some Labor states to raise emission reduction targets.

Josh Frydenberg, Minister for Environment and Energy.

The nation’s energy ministers will meet at a Council of Australian Governments meeting on Friday to thrash out the future of the federal government’s national energy guarantee (NEG), and are expected to agree to move on to the final design stage of a deal.

Mr Frydenberg was the last of the COAG leaders to arrive for a pre-gathering dinner on Thursday night at Cecconi's, an up-market Italian restaurant on Melbourne's Flinders Lane.

Read Nicole Hasham’s story from The Age - “Environment Minister Josh Frydenberg says energy deal is close.”

Climate review: Turnbull government will allow companies to purchase foreign carbon credits.

The Turnbull government will reverse course and allow businesses to buy overseas carbon credits to meet Australia's emissions reduction targets, a policy long questioned by climate experts and once labelled "dodgy" by Tony Abbott.

Backed by industry and some climate change observers, the move allows big businesses to purchase emissions reductions in other countries - most likely at lower prices - to offset their own carbon production.

Read the story in today’s Melbourne Age by Michael Koziol - “Climate review: Turnbull government will allow companies to purchase foreign carbon credits.”

Frydenberg not listening to calls to toughen emissions limits

(Many have heaped praise on what happened in Paris last December when the world’s nations agreed to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels, and so although that praise is not necessarily misplaced to see it as a solution to climate change is, at best, mischievous. Even if the world’s nations all achieve their Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) as submitted at Paris and which are not binding, the global temperatures are predicted to rise by nearly three degrees. Understanding that, we need to be cautious of any comments from Mr Frydenberg arguing that Australia is achieving its targets and beyond that, suggesting we should subsequently ignore any calls from the government appointed Climate Change Authority for tougher climate policies – Robert McLean)

Minister for Energy and Environment, Josh
Frydenberg - known to some as "Mr Coal".

The Coalition’s energy and environment minister, Josh Frydenberg, has hit back at a report from the Climate Change Authority calling for Australia to toughen its climate policies.

Frydenberg said the government had no plans to tighten limits on emissions by the biggest polluters and the Climate Change Authority’s advice to introduce two emissions trading schemes was a “report to, not by, government” and committed only to a review of its policies in 2017.

On Wednesday the Climate Change Authority advised the Australian government to institute two emissions trading schemes and strengthen regulations in order to meet Australia’s 2030 emission reduction targets and to allow it to lift those targets in line with international climate change obligations.

Read The Guardian story - “Josh Frydenberg plays down Climate Change Authority call for tougher emissions limits.”