CLIMATE CHANGE BILL Submission to the House Standing Committee
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CLIMATE CHANGE BILL Submission to the House Standing Committee on the Environment and Energy 20 November 2020 Introduction I am an Australian who wants the Australian Government to better protect my family and community from the impacts of climate change. Following the bushfire crisis earlier this year, which brought weeks of choking smoke to my home city and worse across many parts of Australia, it was plain to see that local communities are now being directly impacted by the national climate crisis. Using laws to limit emissions to the atmosphere and so preserve human and environmental health is nothing new for Australia. The noxious emissions from the engines that power our cars, trucks and buses have been limited by law for many years. International regulatory action to limit emissions to the atmosphere has also been done before. The 1987 Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer was one of the first treaties to deal with a global environmental challenge. Its widespread adoption, including by Australia, is a shining example of international cooperation to limit some commonplace materials such as refrigerants and fire-fighting products. Before then, they were damaging the ozone layer when released into the atmosphere, putting human and environmental health at great risk. The control of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, now known to be changing the climate and impacting human and environmental health for the worse, is much more complex, but the principle is the same. When the globally agreed science warns us that we need to take strong action, national governments must step up and work with each other to fully solve the problem. Unfortunately the issue has seemingly slipped from the world’s grasp over the last thirty years so that it is now a climate crisis, while Australia’s response has earned us a reputation as a climate change laggardi. It is time we stepped up and the Climate Change Bill offers us close to our last chance to get it right. The Climate Change Bill The Climate Change (National Framework for Adaptation and Mitigation) Bill 2020 (the CCB), as proposed by Ms Zali Steggall OAM, MP for Warringah, is the key to Australia properly dealing with climate change. The CCB will guarantee that the globally agreed science on the need to limit greenhouse gases will be followed in Australia. Legislating for net zero carbon emissions by 2050 will give confidence to Australian families and communities that we are finally tackling the climate crisis and are in line with the best of international actions. The CCB will bring the accountability that is currently missing to Government actions on climate change, while providing the certainty and opportunities that the business sector demands for Australia to become a renewable energy superpower. It will be technologically agnostic, yet able to accommodate the Government’s Technology Investment Roadmap. Overall, the CCB will enable Australia to make an immediate, positive and nationally supported response to the risks, challenges and opportunities of climate changeii. CLIMATE CHANGE BILL Submission to the House Standing Committee on the Environment and Energy My submission is to the following aspects of the CCB: Objectives and long-term emissions reduction commitment of Net Zero by 2050 (Key Points 1-3) and why legislating with regular budgets and an independent climate change commission is important (Key Points 4-5) Key Points 1. Science has set a deadline for the world of net zero carbon emissions by 2050, in order to limit the worst impacts of climate change. It is no longer an option. 2. Australia must commit to net zero carbon emissions by 2050 to be a credible part of the global task of reducing emissions. 3. Australia is well positioned to benefit from net zero carbon emissions by 2050 4. Legislative action in Australia is needed to give clarity and confidence to Australian families and communities that we are finally tackling the climate crisis. Legislative action is also needed to give certainty to business so that it can plan its transition to net zero emissions. 5. The Climate Change Bill is the best legislative framework as its design has been proven in other similar countries 2 CLIMATE CHANGE BILL Submission to the House Standing Committee on the Environment and Energy Discussion 1. Science has set a deadline for the world of net zero carbon emissions by 2050, in order to limit the worst impacts of climate change. It is no longer an option. The global target of net zero carbon emissions by 2050 is now being called for by international experts, as the minimum needed to hold the global average temperature rise near to 1.5 degrees Celsiusiii. This is consistent with the goal of the Paris Agreement as ratified by the Australian Government in 2016, in order to limit the worst impacts of climate change. Global climate science tells us that there is no longer the option for the world to continue emitting net carbon past 2050. The recent bushfires in Australia, increased extreme weather events both here and overseas along with the gradual decline and death of the Great Barrier Reef, has shown us with our own eyes what will increasingly happen (and which will soon become irreversible) if the Government continues to downplay the science (which has forecasted just such events). The latest report from the Bureau of Meteorology shows Australia’s temperature rise is now up to 1.44 degrees Celsiusiv, proving that Australia is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change. The damage to the economy and community from the recent bushfire event alone, with the Bushfire Royal Commission identifying climate change as a leading causev, was estimated at over $4 billionvi. A new report from Deloitte Access Economics is now reporting that the Australian economy will lose more than $3 trillion over the next 50 years if climate change isn't addressedvii. 2. Australia must commit to net zero carbon emissions by 2050 to be a credible part of the global task of reducing emissions Australia is among a number of countries that each contributes between 1-5 per cent of global emissions, collectively adding to about 40 per cent of global emissions. If fossil fuel exports are included, Australia reaches around 5 per cent of global emissionsviii. This is similar to Russia, the world’s fifth biggest emitter. If all of Australia’s coal resources were developed and burnt, this alone would take the world two-thirds of the way towards a 2 degrees Celsius rise in global temperatureix. So Australia can make a real difference to the global task of reducing emissions through both its own actions and its influence on other governments around the world. Many countries have legislation and/or policies in place for net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Importantly, these now include most of our top trading partners China, Japan, Republic of Korea, New Zealand and the United Kingdom (although China has announced net zero for 2060 rather than 2050)x, with the European Union considering a carbon border taxxi. The United States (US) has 3 CLIMATE CHANGE BILL Submission to the House Standing Committee on the Environment and Energy been considering a similar proposal within its congress and this will only gather pace under a new administration next yearxii. Even under the current administration in the US, fossil fuel companies such as ExxonMobil recently argued that it is up to governments to set targets that industry can then work toxiii. Australia has no choice but to work within this new global energy market or it will quickly become an outlierxiv. The current Australian commitment under the Paris Agreement of 26-28 per cent reductions on 2005 levels by 2030 (it is not clear whether this applies equally to all energy sectorsix) is considered weak by many, including the Government’s own Climate Change Authority (CCA)xv and other independent analystsxvi. Further, it is not aimed at achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and does not indicate when we will get to net zero carbon emissions. The Government says that Australia may or may not get to net zero carbon emissions by 2050xvii. The Hon Angus Taylor MP, Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction has stated that “we’d love to be able to achieve net zero by 2050, but ultimately that will depend on the pathways of technology to deliver that without damaging the economy”xviii. Nationally, a Government commitment to net zero carbon emissions by 2050 is not quite there yet. However, all States and Territories within Australia have legislation and/or policies in place for net zero carbon emissions by 2050. There is growing support for this. Late last year a coalition of groups including the Business Council of Australia, the Australian Industry Group, the National Farmers Federation and the Australian Energy Council issued a statement saying the country should adopt policies that put it on a path to net zero national emissions.xix Other major companies are seeking clear goals to reduce emissionsxx, while some organisations such as the Australian Greens and Greenpeace advocate for an even faster transition - net zero by 2040xxi,xxii. Nationally, a policy goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2050 would provide confidence to everyday Australians that we are finally tackling the climate crisis and it would provide increased certainty and opportunities for business to plan for the future. It would also put Australia in a credible position to push for further action by all countries under the Paris Agreement. 3. Australia is well positioned to benefit from net zero carbon emissions by 2050 As we come out of the COVID-19 pandemic, Australia is in a unique position to reset its economy by becoming a world leader in renewable energy, creating thousands of new jobs.