Australia’s carbon pollution: the global context
08 August 2011
Our carbon pollution may appear a small proportion of the global total, but it puts us amongst the world’s top polluters.
Australia produces less than 1.5 per cent of global emissions. This may appear a small proportion of the global total, but it places Australia among the world’s 20 highest-emitting countries.
Our annual carbon pollution is roughly the same as that of countries like Spain, France, Italy, South Korea and the United Kingdom: and all those countries have populations two to three times larger than Australia.
Australia’s carbon pollution levels are very high given our population size. In fact, Australia produces more carbon pollution per person than the United States which is the world’s biggest economy.
Although Australia’s emissions are less than 2 per cent of the global total, over 40 per cent of global emissions come from economies that, like Australia, individually represent less than two per cent of the global total. If these countries were all to decide not to limit their emissions, the global goal of holding temperature rise to below 2 degrees would be unachievable. You can hear more about the risks of exceeding a 2 degree limit from Professor Will Steffen, who spoke with CEFgovau about the impacts of climate change.
Global action is required if we are to avoid dangerous climate change. By taking action to reduce our own emissions, we lend momentum to international negotiations and put ourselves in a better position to promote strong mitigation action by other countries. The Government has committed to reduce carbon pollution by 5 per cent from 2000 levels by 2020 irrespective of what other countries do, and by up to 15 or 25 per cent depending on the scale of global action.
Taking action sooner rather than later means that the transition to a clean energy future can be more gradual, manageable and affordable. Treasury modelling shows that, for economies like Australia, deferring action will only lead to higher long-term costs.
A broad range of countries have introduced, or are planning, carbon pricing mechanisms. This includes 31 European countries, New Zealand and in 10 US States. Find out more about the action being taken internationally.