INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENTS THE INTERNATIONAL ENERGY AGENCY’s 2021 WORLD ENERGY OUTLOOK reveals that despite the COVID lockdowns of 2020, renewable sources of energy wind and solar PV continued to grow rapidly, and electric vehicles set new sales records. Clean energy technology is becoming a major new area for investment and employment, however 2021 is seeing a large rebound in coal and oil use and led to the second-largest annual increase in CO2 emissions in history. Data puts in doubt the IEA’s landmark Net Zero Emissions by 2050 Scenario which charts a narrow but achievable roadmap to a 1.5°C stabilisation of global temperatures. www.iea.org
CLIMATEWORKS AUSTRALIA says Australia must strike emissions reductions of 48 to 74 per cent by 2030 (well up on the Coalition’s 28 per cent) to provide a realistic chance of reaching zero net emissions by 2050 and to contain global warming to 1.5 degrees. Climate Council data likewise shows Australia should be cutting emissions 21 times faster and aiming for a 75 per cent cut in greenhouse gas emissions below 2005 levels by 2030 ”to avoid the catastrophic consequences”, declaring we’re on track to cut emissions by just one-third of one per cent (0.28 per cent) annually over the next decade.
THE AUSTRALIA INSTITUTE’S CLIMATE OF THE NATION 2021 report reveals Australians want leadership on climate change. Two-thirds of the 2,626 surveyed agree that Australia should be a world leader in finding solutions to climate change and more than two-thirds want Australia to commit to net zero emissions and set targets to limit global warming to 1.5-2°C. At the very least, that requires halving Australia’s emissions this decade (approximately doubling the current 2030 emissions reduction target) and not approving new gas, coal or oil projects. Australians support changes at a policy level and are willing to make changes to electrify their homes and their vehicles, and power them using sun, wind, water and batteries. “Current policy settings and ambition in Australia remain stagnant and largely out of touch with the prevailing public opinion on climate action,” TAI’s Richie Merzian said. “The majority of Australians think our leaders should be doing more to plan the orderly closure of coal power stations, increase electric vehicle uptake, and prepare for and adapt to the impacts of climate change… [they don’t support] a gas-fired recovery and current levels of fossil fuel industry subsidisation.
Key findings on the views of everyday Australians: GLOBAL RACE TO ZERO SUMMIT Electrify everything: During the two-day event staged in mid-October by the Smart Energy Council, Australian-born scientist and inventor Saul Griffith of Rewiring Australia said if all Australian residents switched to home electric appliances and EVs, households would save $5,000 and Australia up to $40 billion a year by 2030 and help decarbonise the nation. High level Summit speakers from across the globe, including the French Ambassador, urged fossil fuel obsessed Australia to change its path. Read more on page 12.
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4 SUMMER 2021
• 82% are concerned climate change will result in more bushfires, more droughts and flooding, and animal and plant species extinction • 74% support state governments putting in place incentives for more renewable energy • 67% think Australia should be a world leader in finding solutions to climate change • 60% support Australia following the IEA pathway rather than approving new gas, coal or oil projects • 82% support a phase-out of coal fired power stations • 71% support government subsidies to reduce the cost of purchasing an electric vehicle • 66% think the Australian Government should stop new coal mines, and • 79% rank solar in their top three preferred energy sources, compared to 15% for coal and 19% for gas. https://australiainstitute.org.au/
