Australia has been highly critical of international criticism of plans to use “excess” emission reductions from previous international treaties to achieve its Paris agreement target. The ATSE said its own government forecasts show it is not on track to meet its emissions reduction target of 26-28% by 2030 and that Australia`s greenhouse gas emissions are expected to remain virtually unchanged by 2030. The Paris Agreement is based on the idea of a common but differentiated responsibility. It requires the parties to submit national contributions (CNN) that will be made available to each participating nation to target the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. These NMCs are monitored every five years, allowing the parties to demonstrate increased evolution and ambition over time. The Paris Agreement has no mechanism to enforce respect for the parties – rather, it relies on transparency to encourage continued participation in the framework it has put in place. Despite this, even the current targets promised by countries in the Paris Agreement will not be enough to stem potentially dangerous global warming. Among these goals, the world is still on its way to warming by about three degrees. The Climate Task Force calls on the federal government not to comment misleadingly on the achievement of the Paris climate goal and to make serious efforts to take effective action on climate change. Australia has officially abandoned plans to use the Kyoto Protocol transfer credits to meet its climate targets in Paris, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said at a summit of Pacific states, but refused to commit to a timetable to achieve net zero emissions. There`s another problem. RepuTex modelling shows that emissions from Australia`s biggest polluters will wipe out all reductions in the taxpayer-funded CO2 reduction program, the Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF). ATSE said the Morrison government`s plans to use the surplus Kyoto approvals to meet the 2030 Paris Agreement targets were contrary to the overall target of the international emissions reduction agreement.
The president of the Academy of Technology and Engineering (ATSE), Professor Hugh Bradlow, said the Australian Academy had analysed the emissions curve and that Australia had technically met the Kyoto Protocol targets but was unable to meet future goals of the Paris Agreement. Richie Merzian, director of the climate and energy program at the Australia Institute, said Australia was isolated at the Pacific meeting, surrounded by countries that have made a significant commitment to reducing emissions to zero by the middle of the century. “The 2019/2020 bushfire season has clearly demonstrated the effects of climate change in Australia and it is essential that we as a nation show leadership to meet our commitments, but we do so without creating economic conflicts,” said Professor Bradlow. Countries such as France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain and New Zealand signed the “San Jose Principles” to set the bar for carbon market rules. This included banning Kyoto loans and units before 2020 to meet the Paris targets. The Prime Minister tells Pacific leaders that Australia will reach zero net emissions “as soon as possible” but refuses to commit to a timetable.
