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Making Kyoto Count
Last week, Greg Combet announced that Australia will sign the second phase of the Kyoto Protocol. This is good news: the Kyoto Protocol remains the only legally binding global agreement to cut greenhouse gas emissions, and the second phase will be vital if we are to create an ambitious and comprehensive global climate treaty to be implemented by 2020. It will also help to ensure that those developing nations suffering severe climate impacts continue to receive global assistance.
But with Australia expected to announce its emissions reduction target on Monday, there’s still plenty of work to do!
Previously Australia has pledged to reduce emissions by 5% on 2000 levels by 2020 – and this just isn’t good enough. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), countries like Australia must collectively reduce their emissions by 25% to 40% below their 1990 levels by 2020 if we will limit global warming to 2°C – and scientists are now suggesting the we should actually be aiming to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C to avoid the worst climate impacts.
That’s why Australia needs to take on a strong target of much more than 25% to really make Kyoto count.
Australia has previously agreed to a 15% target if there is access to global emissions trading schemes, and 25% if a global deal including the USA and major developing economies like China and India. Given that our carbon price is now linked to the European Union’s ETS, and negotiators in Doha are working towards a global deal that includes all the major players, the conditions for these increased targets may have been met or will be met soon.
It couldn’t be clearer that it’s time to step up our 5% target. To really make Kyoto count and avoid the worst impacts of climate change, we need a strong target of more than 25%.
And we won’t be doing it alone! Other countries have already pledged higher targets than Australia, including:
- South Africa, who has pledged to reduce around 34% by 2020 and around 42% by 2025.
- Japan has proposed a target of 25% relative to 1990 emissions by 2020.
- Norway has a 2020 commitment of at least 30%, with an option of 40% conditional on a global agreement.
- Other countries have pledged ambitious targets in excess of 25% reductions pending the negotiation of a global agreement.
So, how do we get Australia to commit to a target of at least 25%? We need to show the government negotiators here in Doha that Australians are watching what is happening on the global stage – and we want deeper, faster emissions cuts in line with our responsibility as a developed country.
That’s why next week we’ll be meeting with Climate Minister Greg Combet and the Australian negotiators here in Doha, and presenting a photo petition showing that we want them to commit to at least 25%. You can add your voice by taking a photo of yourself (and your friends!) with a creative representation of the number “25″ or “25%”.
We took one this morning – what do you think?
The AYCC is building a generation-wide movement to solve the climate crisis
www.aycc.org.au
2012-11-24 09:00:04
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