Transport and farms lift carbon emissions

Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions increased by 300,000 tonnes last year, despite pollution across the electricity sector falling on the back of more renewable energy.

Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen says more renewable energy had cut emissions from electricity generation by 3.1 per cent, or 5.1 million tonnes. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions increased by 300,000 tonnes last year, despite pollution across the electricity sector falling on the back of more renewable energy coming online.

The national greenhouse gas inventory quarterly update on Tuesday revealed that spikes in transport and agriculture emissions had fuelled an uptick in emissions for the year to September 2022.

Emissions in the September quarter were 300,000 tonnes higher than the three months between April and June last year.

Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions are now 21 per cent below June 2005 levels – the base year for the 2030 Paris agreement target – despite emissions increases fuelled by the Covid-19 recovery and improvement in drought conditions.

Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen said more renewable energy had cut emissions from electricity generation by 3.1 per cent, or 5.1 million tonnes.

In the year to September 2022, 490.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions were recorded.

Labor’s 2030 target to reduce emissions by 43 per cent leans heavily on a tougher safeguard mechanism forcing the country’s 215 biggest polluting facilities to slash emissions by nearly 5 per cent each year out to 2030.

Mr Bowen, who is negotiating with the Greens and crossbenchers to win support on the safeguard mechanism ahead of parliament returning next week, said fast-tracking the mechanism and electric vehicle strategy was “critical”.

“We know emissions for safeguard facilities increased by 4 per cent under the Liberals, and they will continue to increase unless these landmark reforms are passed by the parliament,” he said.

“Our changes will see the safeguard mechanism deliver 205 million tonnes in abatement between now and 2030 – equivalent to taking two-thirds of Australia’s cars off the road – we can’t afford to squander this opportunity.

“After 10 years of denial and delay, (the) data is further proof that Australia needs ambitious but achievable reforms to drive emissions down and deliver certainty across the economy towards net zero by 2050.”

The Minerals Council of Australia – representing mining giants including BHP, Rio Tinto, Glencore and Whitehaven – warned the Albanese government to not breach faith with the nation’s biggest employers whose exports were helping prop up the budget.

The MCA on Tuesday laid-down four key points agreed to by the government that would make or break the mining sector if too many concessions are handed to the Greens and crossbenchers.

“The government gave four assurances about the SGM: that it would maintain international competitiveness; that jobs in mining regions would be secure; that emissions would not leak and be exported elsewhere; and that there would not be a one-size-fits-all approach to the more than 200 facilities covered,” MCA chief executive Tania Constable told a parliamentary inquiry.

The resources sector, linked to 58 per cent of the nation’s safeguard facilities, warned of a “genuine risk” of minerals remaining in the ground if companies prioritise foreign resource developments.

Ms Constable said Australian miners would “hold the government to account”.

The Business Council of Australia said banning coal and gas projects, as demanded by the Greens, risked compromising the reliability of the nation’s energy supply. BCA president Tim Reed and chief executive Jennifer Westacott warned against “radical” attempts to rework Labor’s safeguard mechanism.