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WHAT WOULD IT LOOK LIKE IF AUSTRALIA TREATED CLIMATE CHANGE AS AN EMERGENCY? KETAN JOSHI Ketan is a prolific writer, analyst and science communicator focusing on clean energy and climate change. He previously worked in climate and energy for private companies and government agencies, and now writes journalism and commentary from the front lines of climate and energy battles around the world. He is based in Oslo.
A number of jurisdictions are now declaring climate emergencies. Declarations of climate emergency signify the state of urgency we are in. But declarations must be backed-up by immediate, concrete actions to rapidly decarbonise our economies. Greenhouse gases are accumulating in Earth’s atmosphere and oceans; this is a problem of a finite space filling with balance-tipping poison. An oft-cited metaphor is a bathtub perilously close to overflowing. Do you race to turn to the tap off, or do you think about buying a new mop next week? In December last year, New Zealand declared a climate emergency. “This declaration is an acknowledgement of the next generation. An acknowledgement of the burden that they will carry if we do not get this right and do not take action now,” said Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. “It is up to us to make sure we demonstrate a plan for action, and a reason for hope”.1 This declaration is a promising first step. But is New Zealand treating climate change like an emergency? Gauging and quantifying climate action is hard. The online portal ‘Climate Action Tracker’ is a helpful tool which uses independent scientific analysis to track government action against the Paris Agreement. It ranks New Zealand’s policies as ‘Insufficient’. The Climate Action Tracker explains that New Zealand excludes methane from agriculture and waste (40% of the country’s emissions) in its climate targets, splitting them out from its zero-carbon goal and requiring only a 24% reduction by 2050.2 Therefore, “New Zealand lacks strong policies, despite its Zero Carbon Act”, concludes Climate Action Tracker.3 The country struggles to balance its climate priorities with those of its primary industries. Australia similarly struggles with this balancing act. It has not declared a climate emergency. We must do so. But as the case of New Zealand shows, we will only benefit from a declaration if it is followed up by rapid actions for the full-scale reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Australia’s emission reductions have flatlined over the past half-decade, as rising renewable growth is cancelled out by a growing fossil gas mining industry. The government’s latest emissions projection, published in December 2020, shows emissions falling only a few percentage points (against 2005 levels, as per Australia’s 2030 Paris targets) in the next decade.4 At this rate of decrease, we will hit net zero by around 2294.
HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER | VOLUME 30: ISSUE 1 – AUGUST 2021
