Australia set to miss Paris climate targets as emissions hit new highs

Australia set to miss Paris climate targets as emissions hit new highs

The levels of Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions reached record highs in April, May and June of this year, opening the possibility of Canberra missing its emissions reduction obligations under the Paris climate agreement.

NDEVR Environmental data suggests Australia will miss targets by 1bn tonnes of carbon dioxide under current trajectory.

The figures from NDEVR Environmental for the year up to the end of June 2018 show the country’s emissions were again the highest on record when unreliable data from the land use and forestry sectors was excluded.

It is the third consecutive year for record-breaking emissions.

“Australia’s total emissions, excluding land use, were the highest on record for FY2018. This marks the third consecutive year the record has been broken and the current trajectory indicates we are likely to beat the record again in FY2019 … For Q4/FY2018, Australia’s emissions are 3 Mt CO2-e higher than the trajectory to meet Paris targets and 15 Mt CO2-e higher than recommended safe [national Science Based Targets],” the consultancy said.

The government has yet to publish any emissions data for 2018. Its last update was for the year to December 2017, which it published in May and showed Australia’s emissions continue to soar.

Australia has seen rising emission levels since 2014, when the authorities repealed the so-called carbon tax on the country’s biggest polluters.

In 2015, Australia pledged it would decrease its emissions by 26-28 percent from 2005 levels by 2030 under the Paris accord.

The report finds that transport emissions were the highest on record in the final quarter of the 2018 financial year and continue to rise. NDEVR said this was due to the rapid increase in the use of diesel fuel in both passenger cars and heavy transport.

Predictions are that Australia will miss its Paris climate agreement targets by about a billion tonnes of carbon dioxide if emissions continue on their current trajectory.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE

Print Recipe

BECOME A MiNDFOOD SUBSCRIBER TODAY

Let us keep you up to date with our weekly MiNDFOOD e-newsletters which include the weekly menu plan, health and news updates or tempt your taste buds with the MiNDFOOD Daily Recipe. 

Member Login