CLEAN AIR IN LONDON COP26: Themes (p1-29), People (p30-37) and Events (p38) Version 2.0 E&OE. 10.7.21 Country Themes Examples Yes/No Evidence, link or comment https://www.environment.gov.au/climate- change/adaptation/strategy https://www.environment.gov.au/climate- change/adaptation/publications/national-climate- resilience-and-adaptation-strategy https://www.coastadapt.com.au/ https://nccarf.edu.au/ The government published its National Climate Resilience and Adaptation Strategy in 2015. https://www4.unfccc.int/sites/NAPC/Documents%20N CoastAdapt is an online tool developed by the National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility to AP/National%20Climate%20Resilience%20and%20Ad support local governments and businesses to assess and respond to climate risks in the coastal zone. aptation%20Strategy.pdf The National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility (NCCARF) is an institute run by government https://elaw.org/system/files/national_climate_change_ Australia Adaptation and resilience to coordinate researchers engaged with climate change issues. Yes adaption_framework.pdf Air pollution is mostly caused by coal-fired power stations and is the main source of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and sulphur dioxide (SO2) in air. Fatalities caused by fossil fuel pollution account for about 4% of all deaths, or about 5,700 people each year. The Global Climate and Health Alliance published a report titled “The Limits of Livability - The emerging https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO2106/S00193/forest- threat of smoke impacts on health from forest fires and climate change”. It said that due to Australia’s fire-smoke-driving-increased-health-risks-from-air- worst wildfire season in 2019-2020, the air quality in Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney had pollution-worldwide-report.htm deteriorated substantially, with 80% of the population affected by smoke pollution. https://www.themandarin.com.au/160430-australia- needs-a-public-health-plan-to-address-bushfire-smoke- Australia Air pollution It said climate change and poor land management practices were partly to blame for the fires. Yes impacts-cardiologist-says/ http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened Threatened species experts recommend that koala should be listed as endangered species. /nominations/comment/koala-2021 https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-06-22/environment- Environment Minister Sussan Ley said that the government will challenge UNESCO's move to list the minister-great-barrier-reef-listed-in-danger/100233088 Great Barrier Reef as 'in danger'. https://theconversation.com/the-governments-idea-of- national-environment-standards-would-entrench- Prime minister Scott Morrison announced that Australia would join the High Ambition Coalition australias-global-pariah-status-163082 (HAC), a coalition of 60 countries aiming to protect at least 30 percent of world’s land and ocean by https://www.themandarin.com.au/160143-australia- 2030. joins-global-biodiversity-coalition/ https://www.nespthreatenedspecies.edu.au/projects/nati Australia Biodiversity and nature Scientists have launched a National Action Plan for Australia’s most imperilled plants. Yes onal-action-plan-for-australia-s-most-imperilled-plants The Australian government has not initiated a green recovery, instead using the pandemic as a justification to support expansion of the gas industry, according to Climate Action Tracker. https://energy.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/rene Environment Minister Sussan Ley has rejected plans for a $36 billion wind, solar and hydrogen project wable/australia-rejects-36-billion-wind-solar-hydrogen- in Western Australia saying it will have unacceptable impacts on internationally recognised wetlands energy-project/83710810 Australia ‘Building forward’ (aka Build Back Better) and migratory bird species. No In November 2020, Melbourne and Newcastle agreed to adopt new technology as part of the G20 Global Smart Cities Alliance, a group formed to provide cities the procedures, laws and regulations they https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2020/11/18/36-pioneer- need to use new technology responsibly. cities-chart-a-course-towards-a-more-ethical-and- responsible-future/ https://www.rees- Perth is also working towards improving green spaces and walkability and revamping the transport journal.org/articles/rees/full_html/2017/01/rees170007s Australia Cities system to increase the use of public transport. Yes /rees170007s.html Australia has a long history of environmental activism, with green campaigners having a strong presence in politics since the 1970s. The World Wildlife Fund, The Wilderness Society, Greenpeace, and the Australian Conservation Foundation have been joined more recently by younger climate activists. Australian students started a movement called School Strike 4 Climate Action, inspired by Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg. Students Harriet O'Shea Carre, Milou Albrecht, Lucie Atkin-Bolton, Vivienne Paduch, Aisheeya Huq, Callum Neilson-Bridgefoot, Tully Boyle and several others are actively https://climateactiontracker.org/countries/australia/ involved in climate activism. https://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate- change/why-aren-t-they-doing-anything-students-strike-to- A group of eight teenagers scored a victory in 2021 when a court ruled that the environment minister give-climate-lesson-20181123-p50hvu.html had a duty of care to children to consider the harm caused by climate change as part of her decision- https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-09-23/australian- Australia Climate activists making in approving the expansion of a new coal mine. climate-striker-15-takes-fight-to-new-york/11539354 https://www.preventionweb.net/news/view/78498 Wild storms hit the eastern state of Victoria, causing major property and environmental damage as well https://www.croakey.org/as-yet-another-extreme-weather- Australia Extreme weather and disasters as contaminating water. Around 1,500 Victorian households were without power for three weeks. Yes event-hits-hard-where-is-the-health-response/ https://www.environment.gov.au/climate- change/adaptation/strategy https://www.environment.gov.au/climate- Australian politicians and the media have been accused of undermining efforts to combat climate change/adaptation/publications/national-climate- change with their support for the coal industry. resilience-and-adaptation-strategy https://www.coastadapt.com.au/ https://nccarf.edu.au/ Climate deniers were particularly active when bushfires raged in 2019 and 2020, with Liberal MP Craig https://www4.unfccc.int/sites/NAPC/Documents%20NAP Kelly, for example, saying the fires were caused by high fuel loads and rather than climate change. /National%20Climate%20Resilience%20and%20Adaptati on%20Strategy.pdf The commercial AM radio, Sky and Fox News are the most strident critics of climate change science. Sky https://elaw.org/system/files/national_climate_change_a Australia Fake news or denial News host Cory Bernardi says renewable energy creates more pollutants than fossil fuel. Yes daption_framework.pdf Australia is committed to contributing its part to the UNFCCC goal to collectively mobilise at least https://www.dfat.gov.au/international- $US100 billion per year in climate finance for developing countries by 2020, and annually through to relations/themes/climate-change/Pages/australias- 2025. In December 2020, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that Australia would extend its support-for-other- commitment to build climate change resilience, mitigation and adaptation with a $1.5 billion countries#:~:text=Australia%20is%20committed%20to%2 Australia Finance commitment over 2020-2025. Yes 0doing,US100%20billion'%20of%20climate%20finance. https://www.theguardian.com/australia- Australia’s resources minister, Keith Pitt criticised ‘green activists’ for trying to ‘cripple’ fossil fuel news/2021/jun/16/australian-resources-minister-attacks- companies. green-activists-for-trying-to-cripple-fossil-fuel-companies https://www.sbs.com.au/news/senate-blocks-government- Australian Labour Party, the Green Party and Senate crossbench aligned to block government plans to plan-to-allow-australia-s-renewable-agency-to-invest-in- allow Australia's renewable energy agency to invest in fossil fuels. fossil-fuels https://energy.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/rene New Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce of the National Party said that his party will only support an wable/australias-new-deputy-pm-casts-shadow-over-2050- Australia Fossil fuels energy policy that doesn’t affect states which are heavily dependent on fossil fuel mining. Yes/No net-zero-emissions-ambition/83710985 Overall, people are concerned about the climate change in Australia, with 80 per cent of people thinking the country is already experiencing problems caused by climate change and 83 per cent supporting the closure of coal-fired power stations. According to the Australia Institute's Climate of the https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-10-28/australia- Nation report, 71 per cent of the Australians think that Australia should lead the world in climate institute-2020-climate-change-report-concern- Australia Global warming actions. Yes growing/12764874 https://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate- About 4 per cent of all deaths in a year or about 5,700 fatalities are estimated to be caused by air change/global-fossil-fuel-air-pollution-linked-to-one-in- Australia Health pollution linked to the burning of fossil fuels. Yes five-deaths-20210209-p570z7.html (c) Clean Air in London 2021 Page 1 of 38 10/7/2021 CLEAN AIR IN LONDON COP26: Themes (p1-29), People (p30-37) and Events