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| Pacific nations are among those that have the most to lose from climate change. (Supplied: Darren James) |
No region is at greater risk to the dangers of climate change than the Pacific — nor more determined to lead by example.
And if Australia is to maintain its position as a trusted partner of Pacific island nations amid growing competition in the region, we must demonstrate that we are serious about the number one threat to the wellbeing, human rights and prospects of Pacific peoples — climate change.
But as it stands, the proposed National Energy Guarantee (NEG) will fall well short of demonstrating this commitment — and well short of the ambitious strides being taken by our Pacific neighbours.
In November, the Marshall Islands will host a special summit of the Climate Vulnerable Forum — a group of nearly 50 countries that are especially vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, including many of our Pacific neighbours.
Despite contributing almost nothing to the causes of climate change, members of the forum are leading the world to a brighter future. They are committed to achieving 100 per cent renewable energy as soon as possible and are urging the rest of the world to step up.
A month prior, in October, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change will release its special report on limiting warming to 1.5°C. The report will show more clearly than ever the truly transformative global action required to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement and protect communities everywhere from the ravages of climate change.
The future has arrived
Each and every day, we are faced with harrowing examples of the real and present dangers of a warming world.
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| Malcolm Turnbull unveils his shiny new energy policy, complete with its own three-letter acronym. Here's what it all means. |
At the same time, we learn all the time how stronger action on climate change, including the transformation of our energy systems, can deliver enormous benefits in terms of energy affordability, shared prosperity and reducing inequality.
There is a convenient truth — what works for the planet also works for people.There is also a confronting truth that cannot be ignored. The real cost of failing on our responsibilities will be measured in further entrenched poverty — through the escalating impacts of climate change and humanitarian disasters, increasing hunger, and deaths and disease caused by pollution.
Energy policy divorced from climate impact
Nonetheless, debate on climate and energy policy in Australia has become largely divorced from the escalating impacts of climate change on communities worldwide, Australia's responsibility to end its climate pollution, and the myriad benefits of a renewable energy future.
When the nation's state energy ministers gather this Friday to decide the fate of the proposed NEG, they must keep in mind the bigger picture. Any Federal climate and energy policy must be capable of driving a swift and just transition to 100 per cent renewable energy, including moving rapidly beyond coal-fired power. It must ensure that the benefits and costs of action are distributed fairly, and above all ensure Australia steps up to its international responsibility to tackle climate change. Regrettably, in its current form, the NEG is severely lacking.
Much attention has rightly focussed on the inadequate emissions reduction target for the electricity sector.
Firstly, the target to reduce emissions from electricity by a mere 26 per cent by 2030 makes no sense in the context of Australia's current economy-wide target of 26-28 per cent by 2030, given that remissions reductions can be more easily achieved within the electricity sector than other sectors.
More importantly, Australia's current economy-wide target is itself a woefully inadequate contribution to the Paris Agreement. It is among the weakest of any advanced economy and utterly out of step with the long-term goal of limiting warming to 1.5°C — and will need to be stepped up as soon as possible.
Malcolm Turnbull announces plans for the Coalition to drop the Clean Energy Target (ABC News)
'Ambition mechanism' spurs some into action
Recognising that countries' initial contributions to the Paris Agreement would, in aggregate, fall well short of the scale and pace of action required, the Agreement includes an "ambition mechanism", designed to ensure that countries ratchet up their commitments over time.
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| Here's a simple explanation of the agreement, and what it means for Australia. |
In stark contrast, under the NEG, the Federal Government hopes to lock in Australia's current weak target for the electricity sector — its largest source of emissions — until at least 2024.
Such a move shows either a lack of understanding of Australia's responsibilities under the Paris Agreement, or a willingness to ignore them.
At a minimum, the NEG must set a far more ambitious target for electricity emissions from the outset, and have provisions for the target to be ramped up further in the near future.
Any less and it must be rejected.
*Dr Helen Szoke is Oxfam Australia's chief executive.
Links
- NEG will help cut power prices in most states and territories in the next decade, report finds
- How government inaction fuelled the renewables boom
- 'Frankenstein's monster': ACT won't support national energy plan in current form
- With Abbott and the Greens on the same side, a golden moment in politics beckons
- States give conditional support to National Energy Guarantee, but more talks to come
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