Groundswell Explainers
Despite a global awakening to climate change over the last few years, temperatures are still on the rise. While the strategies and technologies needed to tackle this challenge are fast emerging, so too are climate risks and extreme weather events. This means we need to move faster before climate change crosses thresholds that are much more dangerous and harder to respond to. So, what’s the state of play in 2023 and what can we do to make sure we succeed?
Words by Stephen Pfeiffer (Gadigal Country)
The Good
In September 2022 the UNHRC found that the Australian government needs to do more on climate for the livelihoods of Torres Strait Islanders. A huge win for climate justice, this finding links Australia’s emissions with extreme weather events and rising sea levels that put the culture and homes of people in the Torres Strait in immediate danger.
Momentum for renewable energy is steadily (if not rapidly) building with government targets, funding and policy measures in clean energy increasing, attracting greater private investment and delivering renewable infrastructure.
As coal-fired power stations begin to power down, state investment in clean energy is ramping up. NSW is planning to build Australia’s largest solar-battery hybrid in New England and Australia’s first large scale renewable hydrogen plant will be built in WA’s Pilbara region, which will be one of the world’s largest renewable hydrogen plants.
Industry, markets and some of the country’s biggest polluters are also transitioning away from fossil fuels with AGL, Australia’s worst climate polluter, announcing it is bringing forward the closure of its last coal burning power stations to 2035. Origin Energy, recently announced that it is withdrawing from fracking the Beetaloo Basin.
The Bad
Global investment in fossil fuels almost doubled globally in 2021, despite the reductions in use of fossil fuels due to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns.
Australia continues to be one of the biggest carbon polluters, ranking third highest cumulative emitter per capita in the world. As for abroad, Australia is the biggest global exporter of liquefied gas and thermal coal.
In 2021-22 the amount spent by Australian state and federal governments in subsidies for coal, gas and oil companies grew by $1.3 billion to an astounding $11.6 billion. Going forward, the total amount committed to subsidising the fossil fuel industry is $55.3 billion.
The federal government has announced it will release a further 10 sites for exploration for new oil and gas projects off the coasts of Victoria, Western Australia and the Northern Territory, which is completely at odds with its own climate change targets for Australia to be carbon neutral by 2050. Even drilling Sydney’s coastline for gas is being considered with PEP11 back on the table.
The Ugly
One of the most alarming developments of 2022 was the release of the State of the Environment Report, which revealed truly shocking details demonstrating the severity of the deterioration of our natural environment, climate and biodiversity in Australia, including having one of the highest rates of plant and animal species extinction in the world.
Australia is failing to meet its overseas climate finance obligations for vulnerable and developing nations and there are calls for wealthy countries to increase these contributions. Pakistan is one country leading this call after experiencing devastating floods that resulted in one third of the country becoming underwater, despite contributing less than 1% of the carbon emissions that warm our planet.
The impact of the surmounting instability in our climate is, amongst other things, increasing in the frequency, duration and intensity of extreme weather events, such as the floods that ravaged the east coast of Australia in 2022.
Meteorologists are anticipating an El Niño event to appear from June 2023, which may result in heatwaves and droughts akin to the last El Niño that created the conditions for the 2019-20 bushfires.
So, what do we do now?
Fossil fuels need to be kept in the ground and there are two very important things you can do to help make this happen.
Stay politically engaged and continue to pressure state and federal governments to take more action on climate. Supporting a strengthened Climate Safeguard Mechanism is a good start, one that helps industry reduce its emissions in line with Australia’s climate targets. The success of this policy will play a crucial role in Australia’s climate response.
Support climate action work. To urgently cut fossil fuel emissions we need political will and laws to shift. Which is where Groundswell comes in. We fund climate action and you can too. By becoming a member you join a community of givers making a meaningful impact and accelerating climate action when it matters most. Right now.