The environment and the climate crisis have remained important issues for young people for years. Here at YACSA, it topped the list of priority issues for the upcoming state and federal elections in our pre-election survey.
So, what makes this issue the most important one for young South Australians?
We’ve known for decades that scientific evidence clearly shows the Earth is heating up at a rapid pace and that only a small shift in our climate will have devastating consequences. Australia is already witnessing these consequences through extreme weather events, increasingly intense and longer-lasting heatwaves, increased risk and severity of bushfires and rising sea levels.
Okay, we’ve heard it from the experts and seen it with our own eyes, so what do decision-makers need to do?
While some commentary claims that Australia is responsible for only 1.3% of global emissions there are other significant factors to consider. Most notably, Australia leads the world in exporting fossil fuels and has higher per capita emissions than other developed countries. Australia has made an international commitment to reduce our emissions through the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. In 2016, Australia signed the Paris Agreement which aims to stop temperatures rising by more than two degrees C on average from pre-industrial levels. At the time of signing, Australia set a target of a 26-28 per cent reduction in emissions by 2030. Compared to the United States that set the target of a 41 per cent reduction by 2030 and the UK who planned to cut to emissions by 48 per cent, Australia’s initial goal was underwhelming.
While Prime Minister Scott Morrison has regularly claimed Australia will “meet and beat” targeted reductions, projections from the Department of Environment estimate a reduction in emissions of 16 per cent by 2030 – 10 per cent short of an already low target. Further, in 2021 Australia failed to increase our target at COP26 like other countries and so the original target of a 26-28 per cent reductions to emissions by 2030 remains. The Labor Party’s announced their election climate policy in late 2021 with a reduction in emission target set at 43 per cent by 2030. However, this target would also need to be increased considerably to avoid catastrophic climate impacts according to Climate Council CEO Amanda McKenzie. The Climate Council recommends cutting emissions by 75 per cent by 2030 with an aim of reaching net zero by 2035 in order to avoid climate change effects.
Climate change has already cost Australia through the extinction of vulnerable species, irreversible coral bleaching, increase illnesses risk, financial and emotional impacts caused by drought, floods, and fires, lost habitats, decreased tourism, and the loss of lives with the 2019-2020 south-eastern bushfires killing 33 people and leading to another 429 deaths due to cardiovascular and respiratory conditions. The Climate Change Performance Index 2022 rates country’s performance on renewable energy, energy use, climate policy and greenhouse gas emissions. Australia’s performance in every CCPI category is rated as “very low” which places Australia 58 out of 64 countries on overall climate change performance (down from 54 in 2021). Australia’s current climate policy earns us last place - 64th out of 64 countries. Currently, Australia’s federal climate policy centres on a $2 billion Climate Solutions Fund that allows the government to pay businesses and landlords for actions they take to reduce emissions and thankfully Australia’s renewables sector is also booming with wind and solar power becoming commercially competitive. However, Australia must do more.
