Debate is under way in Australia as the country’s first proposed carbon reduction and trading plan White Paper is announced by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.
Under the terms of the plan, there must be a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by five per cent to 15 per cent below year 2000 levels by 2020. The 15 per cent cut will only occur in the context of a global agreement in which all major economies commit to substantially reducing emissions. A long-term target has also been set to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 60 per cent below 1990 levels by 2050.
The targets are clearly ambitious and outstrip those set by the European Union based on projected population targets – Australia’s population is set to leap by 45 per cent from 1990-2020, whereas Europe’s population is expected to remain flat within the same period.
As Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions have already risen 15 per cent since 2000, the government’s target of a five per cent reduction from 2000 levels is the equivalent of a 20 per cent reduction from current levels.
Australia is in a rush to tackle climate change as it is already one of the hottest and driest developed countries. It would suffer significant losses over the next century including a projected collapse in agriculture by 2100 if greenhouse gas emissions do not drop sharply by 2050.
