Research // Climate Change
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July 2021
Regulatory carbon capture
Australia’s Emissions Reduction Fund will soon incorporate carbon capture and storage projects. The design and development of the CCS ERF method lacks integrity and independence. The proposed method will allow industry to sidestep regulation, enable new gas and oil projects to exist where they otherwise would not have, and result in more emissions being emitted
June 2021
Briefing Note: A Statewide Marine Plan for Tasmania
Tasmania’s coasts are in trouble: climate change, overfishing, impacts from aquaculture, land-based run-off and plastic are some of the pressures impacting Tasmania’s coasts. Developing and implementing a comprehensive and integrated State-wide Marine Plan for Tasmania’s coasts is the best way to ensure healthy marine ecosystems long-term.
Carbon Border Adjustments
All G7 members have sharpened their climate and trade policies to consider the use of carbon border adjustments. Australia should lean in rather than push back on the development of such a proposal while taking advantage of the opportunities in existing and new export industries.
Out of Sight, Out of Mind / 知らないでは 済まされない
日本語は以下 ↓ Japan uses a lot of coal. The 170 million tonnes the country burned in 2020 is enough to fill the Tokyo Dome 102 times over. Burning so much coal is a key reason Japan is the fifth-largest greenhouse emitter in the world. If the world is to avoid dangerous climate change, coal use
Why the Scarborough LNG development cannot proceed
Woodside and BHP’s Scarborough to Pluto LNG project is the most polluting fossil fuel project currently proposed in Australia. It would result in annual carbon pollution equal to over 15 new coal fired power stations, and more pollution than the proposed Adani coal mine. The direct pollution from this project would increase WA’s total emissions
May 2021
Banking on Australia’s Emissions
The Australian Government claims that Australia has reduced its emissions by 19 per cent on 2005 levels and is on track to ‘meet and beat’ its Paris commitments. This claim relies on creative accounting and historical drops in emissions that are unrelated to government policy and do not underpin a net zero trajectory.
Submission: Review of Tasmania’s Climate Change Act and developing the next Climate Action Plan
Tasmania should position itself as a climate change leader by setting a target of net-zero emissions by 2035, underpinned by 5-yearly interim targets and sectoral emissions targets. Electrifying transport, buildings, and industry, as well as reducing residential and industrial gas use, and offsetting agricultural emissions will be key to Tasmania’s climate transition. Conservation of Tasmania’s
April 2021
Short term ambition: 2030 targets for the US and Australia
The US is expected to commit to halving its emissions by 2030, based on 2005 levels. In other words, they will reduce emissions by 43% from today’s levels in the next decade, despite plans for massive COVID-19 economic stimulus. The new US climate target will abate 5.2 billion tonnes of CO2 and be a significant
Wrong way, go back
What is the Federal Government’s Gas-Fired Recovery Plan? At its most base level it appears to be a series of taxpayer subsidies to export-focused gas companies. The process for allocating these subsidies is secretive, with no publicly available criteria, or even policy documents answering many of the basic questions of what the plan is aiming
Polling: Upper Hunter – Moratorium on New Coal Mines in the Hunter
The majority of voters (57.4%) in the NSW state seat of Upper Hunter support former PM Malcolm Turnbull’s call for a moratorium on new coal mine approvals and a remediation plan for existing mines for the Hunter Valley. The Australia Institute surveyed a nationally representative sample of 686 residents in the NSW state seat of
Submission on the Future Fuels Discussion Paper
The federal government can improve Australia’s low electric vehicle uptake through upfront purchase incentives, CO2 emissions standards, a 100% gov fleet target and correcting its own misinformation and modelling.
Submission to the South Australian Government’s Consultation on Zero and Low Emission Vehicles Road User Charge
To address transport emissions, EV adoption is becoming a key component of strategies to reduce carbon pollution. Unfortunately, Australia currently lags behind other countries in EV uptake due to a lack of policies to decarbonise the transport sector and incentivise EV purchases. The South Australia state government says it wants to lead Australia in the
March 2021
One Step Forward, Two Steps Back
23 new coal projects are proposed in NSW, with total production capacity equivalent to 15 Adani-sized mines. Ten Adanis’ worth of these projects are proposed for the Upper Hunter. Local and international factors mean not all of these projects can proceed. A moratorium should be placed on new coal approvals while a coherent regional planning framework is developed for the Hunter. This framework should be based around a world with net zero emissions in 2050.
January 2021
Submission on the Climate Change (National Framework for Adaptation and Mitigation) Bill 2020
The Australia Institute welcomes the opportunity to make a submission on the Climate Change (National Framework for Adaptation and Mitigation) Bill 2020 (The Climate Act). The Climate Act is modelled on the United Kingdoms’ Climate Change Act (2008). Similar legislation has been passed in New Zealand and Ireland, with Germany and Fiji currently considering similar
December 2020
Polling: National Political Issues
The Australia Institute surveyed nationally representative samples of over 1,000 Australians each month from August about what they think the most important national political issue is right now. In every month, more Australians identified the economy as the most important national political issue than any other issue (between 37% and 48%). Health was second-most likely
November 2020
October 2020
September 2020
August 2020
July 2020
Scope of this Reporting
Australia’s fossil fuel exports are more than double direct domestic emissions in CO2 potential. Such ‘scope 3’ emissions should be reported and included in government accounting. Mining lobby objections do not stack up and are contradicted by the actions of many of their own members companies. Emissions data release should be insulated from the Minister
June 2020
Eden-Monaro Polling: Economy and Climate Change Major Issues for By-Election
New research from The Australia Institute has found that the economy and climate change are the two most important issues for voters in the seat of Eden-Monaro, with a majority of voters saying economic stimulus following the COVID-19 crisis should also address and build our resilience to climate change.
Submission: Technology Investment Roadmap Discussion Paper
The Australia Institute made a submission on the Federal Government’s Technology Investment Roadmap Discussion Paper.
Submission: Climate Change Authority Review of Emissions Reduction Fund
The Australia Institute made a submission to the Climate Change Authority’s review of the Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF). The ERF includes the ‘safeguard mechanism’ which is failing by allowing emissions to rise, undoing the modest abatement purchased under the ERF and abatement achieved in the electricity sector.
April 2020
Scope of this Reporting
Australia’s fossil fuel exports are more than double direct domestic emissions in CO2 potential. Such ‘scope 3’ emissions should be reported and included in government accounting. Mining lobby objections do not stack up and are contradicted by the actions of many of their own members companies. Emissions data release should be insulated from the Minister