Opinion: Australia a Wombat on Climate Readiness

Australia is lumbering towards net zero like an old grey wombat.

Planet earth is in a climate crisis. We know the cause, greenhouse gas emissions, so the solution is obvious: stop emitting. But Australia still doesn’t have a national strategy to do that, no net zero emissions target, nor the leadership to get on with the job.

Like the nocturnal wombat, the Australian Government is wandering in the dark, apparently blind to climate science and the opportunities of a green future.

With an election looming, the need to win votes is more important than the future safety of our young people, and politicians in Canberra are negotiating a strategy based on party political wrangling instead of science.

The latest report from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in August concluded unequivocally that there is a narrow path to avoiding a climate catastrophe, but only through immediate, deep and sustained emissions reductions. Scientists in Australia tell us that net zero by 2050 is no longer enough. They have urged the government to reduce emissions by 75% below 2005 levels by 2030 and reach net zero emissions by 2035.

This week, the Tasmanian Government announced amendments to the Climate Change Act to include a target of net zero emissions from 2030. The NSW government has recently committed to halving greenhouse gas pollution by 2030. Victoria has a 45 to 50 per cent aspiration for 2030, and South Australia is aiming for more than a 50 per cent reduction by 2030.

However, the Federal Minister for Emissions Reductions Angus Taylor has told us his idea of ‘net zero’ sees a great future for coal, oil and gas industries, even in 2050. Perhaps he thinks carbon capture, by whatever method, will handle those future emissions. But that attitude is blind to the carbon-dioxide already in the Earth’s atmosphere, a 47 percent increase since the beginning of the Industrial Age. The world needs to get rid of that CO2, not generate more.

The taxpayer will end up paying twice if coal, oil and gas are further subsidised.

The first payment is the money being provided by the government for research and development of carbon compression, transport and storage in an attempt to offset gas emissions from fossil fuel production and use. Despite over a billion dollars of Australian government spending on carbon capture and storage (CCS) initiatives, there are still no large-scale coal mines with effective CCS operations in Australia.

Earlier this year, the United Nations Secretary-General urged all governments to “end the deadly addiction to coal”. In this country, three new coal mine projects have been approved by the Australian Minister for the Environment Sussan Ley in the last month. Funding is being provided to gas companies for further gas exploration in the Beetaloo Basin and final approval was given in August for an international company to look for gas in Bass Strait east of King Island.

The second payment by the taxpayer will be needed to protect the environment and human health as the fossil fuel generated gas emissions continue to rise and the climate crisis deteriorates. To purchase more aircraft to fight bushfires. To reinforce the coastal strip to prevent homes falling into the sea. To support food production as droughts become more severe. And to repair the damage to homes from tornadoes, cyclones and floods.

A climate target without a plan is like walking the Overland Track without a map. Without a good map, you could miss the track markers, walk into a bog and get your boots full of water, or worse, reach a cliff edge and drop to your death.

The absence of a comprehensive climate strategy in this country means that Australia now ranks last among 193 countries in the United Nations for climate action. We are close to the cliff edge!

A climate strategy sets the net zero target we need, and interim targets to get there. It must refer to the best independent expert advice to achieve emissions reduction and develop a rapid transition to renewable energy. It will provide the certainty for investment in Australian businesses, will tell our trading partners we are committed to reducing our emissions, and avoid carbon tariffs being imposed on our exports.

The Independent MP, Zali Steggall introduced her Climate Change Bill into parliament a year ago. There was almost unanimous support for this proposed legislation from all sectors of the community but the government blocked further progress. A revised version of her bill is about to be reintroduced. It should be fully debated in parliament and a conscience vote allowed as the climate crisis is definitely a life-or-death matter. With legislation in place, climate action will no longer be the political football that has been kicked around for decades.

Australia needs a government with the vision of the majestic wedge-tailed eagle, a perspective of the entire climate landscape and the foresight to take advantage of all opportunities.

Australia is rich in renewable energy – solar, hydro and wind. There’s plenty of it and it will never go away. On top of that, new technology is driving the development of green hydrogen, wave power and pumped hydro energy storage. Australia has the ability not only to achieve 100% renewable electricity within the next decade but to export carbon neutral technology, power and manufacturing to other countries.

Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce has said regional industries and employment need to be protected before the Nationals commit to a government plan for net-zero emissions by 2050. Professional sources predict that a government climate strategy will drive the economy and create jobs across the country in wind and solar farms, increasing electricity transmission capacity, battery manufacturing, electric vehicles, green hydrogen and manufacturing powered by renewable energy.

Andrew Forrest’s message to the Prime Minister this week was: “don’t stand on the hose”, don’t give us a strategy that squashes opportunity. He asked the government to show the leadership that supports and encourages Australian entrepreneurs and unleashes the power of business to achieve net zero.

Dr Janet Truslove has worked as a livestock veterinarian in Scotland and Queensland and now lives on a farm in Tasmania where regenerative agriculture is practised. She likes walking the hills and forests and putting pressure on governments to act on climate change.