Australia ranked last on emissions effort

As the government finalises its net zero strategy ahead of the Glasgow climate conference, Australia has just been rated the worst developed nation for cutting emissions.

Australia is the worst performer of all developed nations when it comes to cutting greenhouse gas emissions and moving beyond fossil fuels, according to a new Climate Council ranking.

The list, which is based on a combination of emissions cuts that have already been made as well as future commitments, puts Australia last, at 31, preceded by New Zealand at 30 and Iceland at 29.

The government hit back at the report, describing it as “misleading and complete rubbish”.

The UK, which has already cut emissions by 45 per cent and aims to get to 68 per cent by 2030, was ranked number one by the Climate Council. It was followed by Switzerland, while the US was ranked number 23. China, which is technically considered a developing nation, was not included on the list.

The ranking was determined before Prime Minister Scott Morrison confirmed on Tuesday that Australia would not be announcing any new 2030 emissions reductions targets at the COP26 conference in Glasgow next month.

The result comes despite massive gains over the past decade in the amount of electricity Australia produces from renewable sources.

Last year we sourced 24 per cent of our electricity from renewables, up from 8 per cent in 2011, and according to Energy Minister Angus Taylor, Australians have adopted solar energy faster than anywhere in the world, with around one in four houses now having rooftop panels.

Dr Simon Bradshaw from the Climate Council. Picture: Supplied

Climate Council Chief Councillor Professor Tim Flannery. Picture: AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts

“We have seen some progress in renewables, almost exclusively driven by state governments … and that has been offset by increases in other places, for example the growth in the fossil gas export industry,” Dr Simon Bradshaw from the Climate Council said.

An “overall increase in consumption” had also pushed up Australia’s emissions, he said.

In an accompanying report, Dr Bradshaw and Professor Tim Flannery argued emissions “in the sectors that matter most” had shot up.

Electricity emissions had increased by around a third since 1990, while transport emissions had grown by more than half, they claimed.

Mr Taylor slammed the report as “misleading and complete rubbish”.

“Excluding sources of emissions reductions to suit a politically-motivated narrative, as the Climate Council does, shows a lack of respect for the Paris Agreement or climate science,” he said.

Mr Taylor described Australia’s emissions as the “gold standard”, and said “no other country offers more comprehensive or timely reporting”.

Rooftop solar has boomed, but the emissions gains have been negated by growth in other areas, the Climate Council has warned.

Prof Flannery said the COP26 conference was shaping up as “the fortnight that will change the world for better or for worse”.

While efforts to combat climate change were escalating, he said, so too were emissions, with one quarter of all of humanity’s greenhouse gas emissions put out in the past 15 years alone.

Net zero by 2050 was “last year’s story,” Prof Flannery said.

“Almost all our traditional allies and major trading partners ticked that off long ago and have now set their sights on 2030,” he said. “It is the scale and pace of action through the 2020s that matters, and which Glasgow’s success or failure will be measured by.”

Originally published as Australia ranked last on emissions effort