Climate scientists have observed with mounting concern the continuing emissions
and the rise in atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide and other
greenhouse gases.
For decades, they have issued dire warnings about
what is at stake and what is required to curb global warming.
Yet
global temperatures continue to rise, along with damages from extreme
weather.
This report “Aim High, Go Fast: Why Emissions Need to Plummet this Decade” is the Climate Council’s science-backed vision for what Australia’s best
effort could look like. Australia is a nation of currently high emissions but
rich renewable energy resources.
The country has been ravaged by
unprecedented bushfires, droughts, and floods in recent years, and decision
makers should not ignore these warnings.
“Australia, as an advanced economy and major emitter, and one with
unrivalled potential for renewable energy and other climate solutions,
should be a leader not a laggard, and reduce its emissions even faster
than the required global average. Every tonne of emissions avoided
matters, and every delay has an escalating cost. We urge you all to
take this report seriously and respond accordingly.”
— Professor Christopher Field and Dr Kevin Trenberth
Key Findings
1. Climate change is accelerating with deadly consequences. The
ecological systems that have sustained human life and societies for
generations are being severely damaged by increasing heat and
worsening extreme weather events.
There is no safe level of global warming. Already, at a global
average temperature rise of 1.1°C, we’re experiencing more powerful
storms, destructive marine and land heatwaves, and a new age of
megafires.
Multiple lines of evidence strongly suggest the global average
temperature rise will exceed 1.5°C during the 2030s.
Should temperatures spike above 1.5°C for a significant period of
time, critical ecosystems on which we depend (such as the Great
Barrier Reef) would be even more severely damaged, or destroyed.
Every fraction of a degree of avoided warming matters, and will be
measured in lives, species and ecosystems lost or saved. We must do
everything possible to deeply and rapidly cut our emissions, while
also preparing for climate impacts that can no longer be avoided.
There’s little time left to limit global warming below catastrophic
temperature rises. Breaching 1.5°C of warming significantly
increases the risk of triggering abrupt, dangerous and irreversible
changes to the climate system.
2. Our response must match the scale and urgency of this worsening
situation. Action to deeply reduce emissions this decade will
determine whether the climate system can or cannot be stabilised at
warming of well below 2°C.
While action is increasing in Australia and world-wide, it remains
too slow and not enough. Protecting Australians from the worsening
effects of climate change requires all governments, businesses,
industries and communities to strongly step up their activities to
deeply reduce emissions during the 2020s.
The lion’s share of the effort to get to net zero emissions needs to
happen this decade. Delaying further than we have already would mean
that even more rapid and disruptive action to reduce emissions is
required later.
Governments, business and industry are committing increasingly to
net zero targets. However, timeframes for these commitments are
generally too long. The world achieving net zero by 2050 is at least
a decade too late and carries a strong risk of irreversible global
climate disruption at levels inconsistent with maintaining
well-functioning human societies.
Australian governments, businesses, industries and communities can
and must cut emissions deeply. Given the scale of the global
emissions reduction task, and taking into account Australia’s very
high level of emissions and our huge renewable energy resources,
Australia should aim to reduce emissions by 75% below 2005 levels by
2030 and reach net zero emissions by 2035. This is a fair and
achievable contribution to the global task and an imperative given
our high vulnerability to escalating extreme weather.
3. As momentum for climate action gathers speed around the world, all
efforts must now focus on steps that can be taken this decade.
The change in US government has ushered in a new era of
international cooperation on climate change. All commitments must be
scaled up, and the pace of action must accelerate if we are to avoid
the worst climate consequences.
Australian state and local governments as well as many leading
business and community groups are already providing vital leadership
in implementing climate solutions.
Many of Australia’s strategic allies and major trading partners
(including the US, EU, UK, Canada) have strengthened their climate
commitments for this decade, or intend to do so. The Australian
Federal Government is standing still, and alone.
Australia, as a major emitter in its own right and a giant of the
global fossil fuel economy, has a major role to play in the global
effort to stabilise the climate. Bold and decisive climate action
ultimately protects us and is in our national interest.
4. Australia has everything it needs to act swiftly and decisively to
help avert climate catastrophe, and prosper in a global clean economy.
Australia has unrivalled potential for renewable energy, new clean
industries, and clean jobs. We need to rapidly scale up the energy
transition and advance solutions in other sectors including
transport and agriculture.
Climate leadership from states and territories has shown what works,
and the benefits that decarbonising our economy can bring, such as
regional jobs, cleaner cities and cheaper power. It’s time for a
concerted national push, and for the federal government to work with
other tiers of government, along with industry and communities, to
rapidly step up this work and deliver much deeper cuts in emissions.
Despite our natural advantages, we are being left behind in the new,
clean economy race. Urgently ramping up our ambition is fundamental
both to Australia’s economic future, and to ensure our children and
grandchildren can not only survive but thrive.
The change will not always be smooth. There are political, technical
and other challenges ahead because action has been delayed. However,
the alternative – a decision to not do enough, or to delay – will
lead to massive climate disruption. Catastrophic outcomes for
humanity cannot be ruled out if we fail to meet the climate
challenge this decade.
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