They thought they could hide behind the soot and smog of Katowice, but not today! Let’s welcome back Australia to the scoreboard – where have you been?
The Aussies are big on transparency and have a robust system of greenhouse gas accounting and reporting on emissions at home, which is why we know they have had four years of rising emissions after scrapping a successful emissions trading system. So how will they meet their target?
Through carbon credits, of course! While their neighbour New Zealand came out this week and announced they will not use Kyoto Assigned Amount Units (AAUs) to meet their Paris target, Australia has remained silent in transparency and accounting in anticipation of using its hundreds of millions of credits to meet its target in a canter.
Let’s be clear: Australia is not interested in reducing emissions. It saddled up to the Trump sideshow on coal to promote its fossil fuel exports as well as Carbon Capture and Storage technology. At home, its Energy Minister is fast tracking plans to use taxpayer dollars to build new coal-fired power stations!
So, welcome back, Australia – don’t you think it is finally time to wake up and smell the smog?
