Australia’s future emissions reduction targets

Presents the Climate Change Authority\u27s recommendations on Australia\u27s future emissions reduction targets, and constitutes the first part of the Authority\u27s response to the Special Review requested by the Minister for the Environment in December 2014. Background This report builds on the work in the Authority\u27s recent report, Reducing Australia’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions—Targets and Progress Review , which was provided to the Minister (and released publicly) on 27 February 2014. That report, which reflected extensive public consultation, presented the Authority’s comprehensive assessment of the evidence coming from climate scientists, the efforts being made by other countries to reduce their emissions, and the targets judged to be in Australia’s best interests. The Authority recommended a target for  2020 and a trajectory range for emissions out to 2030. It also recommended a long-term emissions budget to guide Australia’s planning over the period to 2050.   Weighing up all the relevant factors, the Authority recommended a 2020 target for Australia of 19 per cent below 2000 levels. By way of guidance for the period beyond 2020, the Authority recommended a trajectory range to 2030 of emissions reductions of between 40 and 60 per cent below 2000 levels. Under the Clean Energy Act 2011 (Cth) the Government was obliged to respond to these recommendations by the end of August 2014 but, with the repeal of that Act, this obligation lapsed.   In preparing this current report, the Authority has revisited the material underpinning its February 2014 report and updated its analysis in the light of new information that has emerged since that time, particularly in regard to the science of climate change and the recent efforts of many countries to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.   The Authority believes this new information supports its previous assessment that Australia\u27s conditions for moving some way beyond its unconditional target have been met. These conditions included increased clarity around the level and credibility of international action and agreement on emissions accounting and reporting. Australia\u27s commitment under the UNFCCC includes an unconditional emissions reduction target of 5 per cent below 2000 levels by 2020, and conditional targets of up to 15 or 25 per cent.   The present Government has shown no inclination to move beyond the unconditional 2020 target. The consequences of limiting Australia\u27s emissions reductions to this minimum 5 per cent target have been factored into the Authority’s consideration of appropriate post-2020 targets. &nbsp

Renewable Energy Target review

SUMMARY This is the Climate Change Authority\u27s second review of the Renewable Energy Target (RET). The RET targets reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from the electricity sector and thereby contributes significantly to reducing Australia\u27s overall emissions. In its 2012 review of the RET, the Authority found that the RET was stimulating considerable investment in renewable energy and argued that a stable and predictable policy was essential to sustain this investment. It concluded that no major changes were warranted to the overall RET design, but suggested some minor operational changes. The uncertain future of the Authority until recently has limited the time available to conduct this review. Largely for that reason, the Authority has focused on what, it its view, are the most important issues. The Authority has also drawn on both its 2012 Authority review, and on the review conducted this year by a panel headed by Mr Dick Warburton AO LVO. The RET and Australia\u27s emissions reduction goals In 2010, when the Large-scale Renewable Energy Target (LRET) was set at 41,000 GWh, it was estimated that this contribution, with contributions from the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme (SRES) and other pre-existing renewables (notably hydro), would together represent at least 20 per cent of Australia’s (then) projected total electricity demand in 2020. Given that electricity accounts for approximately one-third of Australia’s emissions of greenhouse gases, renewable sources were seen as making a significant contribution to Australia’s broader emissions reduction goals. Reducing emissions in the electricity sector plays a pivotal role in climate change policies around the world. Unchecked climate change is widely seen as posing serious risks for the Australian community and its economy. Together with the broader international community, Australia has agreed to a goal of limiting global warming to no more than 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. This requires concerted action by all countries— including Australia—to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. The RET, as currently legislated, is a significant part of Australia’s policy response to that challenge. The RET arrangements were envisaged to deliver ‘at least 20 per cent’ of Australia’s electricity from renewable sources by 2020 and are projected to reduce Australia\u27s emissions by 58 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (Mt CO2-e) over 2015–20, and by much larger amounts in later periods. The RET arrangements are not perfect but, in the Authority’s view, they are effective in reducing emissions (at reasonable cost) in the centrally important electricity sector. Given the absence of effective alternative measures bearing upon this sector, the Authority does not favour any significant scaling back of the 2020 LRET target of 41,000 GWh

Carbon Farming Initiative review

SUMMARY The Authority is required by legislation to review the Carbon Farming Initiative (CFI) every three years; this is its first review. The review has benefited from consultations with stakeholders from a range of sectors and the Authority thanks those who contributed. When introduced in 2011, the CFI was designed to complement the carbon pricing mechanism. Accordingly, it focused on sectors not covered by the carbon price, namely: agriculture, waste (in part), and land use, land use change and forestry. CFI projects earned credits that could be sold to entities with liabilities under the carbon pricing mechanism. The carbon price has since been repealed, and the CFI has been expanded to form the Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF) and now covers all sectors of the economy. The ERF is the central plank of the government’s Direct Action Plan to reduce Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions. It has been introduced through amendments to the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative) Act 2011 (Cth), which brings it within the scope of this review. For simplicity’s sake, this report refers to the CFI as the scheme as originally configured, and the ERF as the scheme as approved by the parliament in November 2014. Under the ERF, the government will purchase emissions reductions through auctions (and possibly other means). Fixed-price contracts, typically for seven years, will be offered to those who are successful at auction. Other changes to streamline the scheme are also being introduced, and a safeguard mechanism (that will discourage large emitters from increasing their emissions above historical levels) is to commence in July 2016. While these changes are substantial, the ERF retains an essential characteristic of the CFI in that it credits projects for reducing emissions below a defined baseline, and the baseline reflects what would have been expected to occur in the absence of the scheme. The changes to the CFI are important for this review in two ways. First, as the scheme is being expanded to become the central element of Australia’s policy to reduce emissions and meet its targets, the lessons to be gleaned from its operation to date will be of interest in assessing the likely performance of the ERF. Second, as this review follows closely on the policy development process for the ERF, care has been taken not to duplicate that process, but to focus instead on the extent to which the design of the ERF addresses problems identified with the CFI, as well as other challenges that may arise

Contrasting influences of inundation and land use on the rate of floodplain restoration

This study examined the assisted natural restoration of native vegetation in an Australian floodplain wetland where flows were reinstated and the river was reconnected to the floodplain, following cessation of agricultural cultivation. Extant vegetation was surveyed three times during an inundation event at plots with different land‐use histories. Restoration rate was more influenced by past land use than long‐term inundation frequency and success decreased with antecedent land‐use intensity. Prolonged land‐use history (>3 years cultivation) restricted restoration success. Sites with longer cultivation histories tended to have fewer aquatic species, more terrestrial species and exotic species. For example, amphibious responders with floating leaves were found only in reference plots and less frequently in farmed treatment plots. In this scenario, increased persistence of exotics and dryland species suggested alternative trajectories. Fields with a short land‐use history (1–3 years of clearing and cultivation) resembled undisturbed floodplain communities, consistent with a ‘field of dreams’ hypothesis. Although river–floodplain reconnections can restore wetlands, legacy effects of past land use may limit the pace and outcomes of restoration.Australian Postgraduate AwardAustralian Research Council. Grant Number: DE120102221ARC Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions Australian Research Council Linkage Project. Grant Number: LP088416

Implications of climate change for shipping: Ports and supply chains

Ports are an important economic actor—at local, national, and international scales—that have been identified as being vulnerable to future changes to the climate. This paper details the findings from an international review of state‐of‐the‐art knowledge concerning climate risks, and adaptation responses, for ports and their supply chains. Evidence from both academic and gray literature indicates that there has already been major damage and disruption to ports across the world from climate‐related hazards and that such impacts are projected to increase in the years and decades to come. Findings indicate that while a substantial—and growing—body of scientific evidence on coastal risks and potential adaptation options is acting as a stimulus for port authorities to explicitly consider the risks for their assets and operations, only a notable few have actually made the next step toward implementing adaptation strategies. This paper concludes by putting forward constructive recommendations for the sector and suggestions for research to address remaining knowledge gaps. It emphasizes a call for collaboration between the research and practice communities, as well as the need to engage a broad range of stakeholders in the adaptation planning process

The seventh national communication of Malta under the United Nations framework convention on climate change

This is the fourth time that Malta is submitting a National Communication under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), following the submission of a First National Communication in 2004 and a Second National Communication in 2010. This is also the second time that Malta is submitting such a Communication since its accession to Annex I status under the Convention, the first two submissions having been made as a non-Annex I Party. Emission reduction or limitation commitments applicable to Malta Malta’s status under the Convention up to the time it applied for accession to Annex I, and with that accession being conditional to not taking on quantified emission limitation or reduction targets for the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol, meant that until 2012 Malta was not subject to an economy-wide greenhouse gas related obligation under the Protocol. This however did not mean that Malta had no obligations to limit or reduce emissions from anthropogenic activities taking place in the country. In line with, Malta will be contributing its fair share of the EU’s unconditional commitment under the Convention to reduce emissions by 20% below 1990 levels by 2020. This is in line with the target inscribed in the amendments to the Kyoto Protocol (the Doha Amendments), that will be jointly fulfilling the second commitment period with the other Union member states; therefore, emissions from the aforementioned power plants remain subject to compliance with EU Emissions Trading Scheme provisions, while the Effort-Sharing Decision target is the principal emissions mitigation obligation that the country has until 2020, for all other greenhouse gas emissions. The major point sources of greenhouse gas emissions in Malta, namely the electricity generation plants have been, since of 2005, subject to the EU Emissions Trading Scheme, whereby they are required to surrender allowances in respect of emissions of carbon dioxide. Emissions of greenhouse gases not covered by the EU Emissions Trading Scheme, are subject to an overall limit under the so-called Effort-Sharing Decision. Under this decision, Malta must limit such greenhouse gases to not more than 5% over emission levels in 2005, by 2020. The EU is already looking towards the longer-term future, with the 2030 climate and energy framework providing for a 40% domestic reduction target for 2030. Legislative implementation of this goal is currently under discussion at EU level.peer-reviewe

Global commitment towards sustainable energy

Energy is crucial to economic and social development and improves quality of life. However, fossil fuel energy produces greenhouse gases (GHGs) and cannot be sustained for a long time. It is essential to tackle these problems by moving towards renewable and sustainable energy. Some countries, including those in the Arabian Gulf region, are still in the appraisal stage of adopting different forms of renewable energy. This paper reviews the business potential and likely GHG reductions associated with adopting renewable energy in Oman. It is revealed that 1·9 Mt of annual carbon dioxide emissions could be cut by producing 10% of the country’s electricity from renewables. The paper further discusses the global sustainable energy commitment under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and reviews the 2030 targets of some countries that are high producers of GHGs. It is anticipated that if all these planned targets are achieved, the total sustainable energy contribution could grow by nearly 11 000 TWh by 2030. These plans provide guidance for those countries still preparing to submit their plans to the UN

Governing cities for sustainable energy:The UK case

AbstractThe dependence of cities on intensive consumption of energy from fossil fuels is a major cause of climate disruption, and there is increasing interest in the potential for city governments to facilitate a transition to sustainable energy. Little is known, however, about the extent or structures of current urban energy initiatives. Our paper addresses this gap by mapping UK local authority energy plans and project investments and exploring governance processes in three leading cities. It uses socio-technical and urban studies' perspectives on neo-liberal governing and energy systems to interpret findings. This reveals both the gap between local ambitions and capacity to implement plans, and the potential for translation of neo-liberal governing into contrasting commercial and community urban energy enterprises, prefiguring different energy futures. Overall, however, the neo-liberal framework is associated with small scale and uneven initiatives, with limited contribution to a systemic shift to sustainable cities