For the vast majority of Australians who want effective climate action, December 2016 was a disappointing bookend to a demoralising year. Prospects for a well-planned transition for Australia’s ageing, inefficient electricity sector reached their lowest point in December.
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The mere mention of including an Emissions Intensity Scheme in terms of reference for consultation sparked a massive backlash from the Coalition backbench. The result was the scheme was ruled out, along with any consideration of policies targeting our largest source of emissions: fossil-fuelled power plants. This is despite almost all of the energy sector and the environment movement agreeing the 2017 climate policy review must produce an effective policy to reduce electricity sector emissions.
After a fiasco of its own making, new figures released by the federal government show Australia’s emissions continue to rise – a trend since the repeal of the carbon price. In contrast, global emissions have flatlined for three years in a row. Not only is Australia not on track to meet our 2030 targets, but less than a year after signing up to the Paris Agreement, we are headed in the complete opposite direction.
So, how can Australia begin to claw back from this policy mess? The political and media spotlight has rightly been on electricity. But we urgently need to seek further options for significant emissions reduction.
The transport sector – Australia’s third largest source of emissions, with the highest rate of growth – has largely escaped notice. The major source of the problem is cars, responsible for roughly half of all transport emissions. Australia ranks among the worst in the world for transport efficiency. Compared to similar nations, we are in a minority without emissions standards which limit the amount of carbon dioxide emissions from cars, meaning cars sold here emit more. We drive more, and as a country we spend comparatively little on public transport infrastructure compared to roads. But there are truckloads of solutions on offer.
The federal government has made a start by consulting on mandatory vehicle greenhouse gas emissions standards. Introducing such standards would mean catching up with 80 per cent of the global car market, including the likes of the United States, Europe, Japan, South Korea, China, India, Canada and Mexico. It would bring benefits as a result of lower fuel costs. Electrifying and powering transport with renewable energy is also critical for positioning Australia on the road to zero emissions by 2050.
As a leader in rooftop solar and with a heavy reliance on driving, Australia is ideally placed for rapid uptake of electric vehicles. In Norway, nearly a quarter of cars sold are now electric – in Australia, it’s 0.08 per cent. Governments can accelerate the transition with the roll out of fast-charging infrastructure powered by renewable energy. Governments can also prioritise electric for their 40,000-odd annual fleet vehicle purchases.
We could go further. The Netherlands began 2017 announcing their national railways are 100 per cent wind-powered.
State governments can take the lead here and switch electric buses, trains and trams to renewable energy. The Victorian and NSW governments have already made a promising start. Victoria’s recent solar trams announcement was a promising start to 2017, but there is much more governments can do. Let’s hope the federal and other state governments can kick off the new year with some simple actions to start turning our emissions around and get us back on track.
Petra Stock is a solutions analyst with the Climate Council of Australia.