By Joe Montero
Angus Taylor’s climate crisis speech in Madrid, warned the world that “strong messages and targets alone won’t address climate change, no matter how ambitious.”
What was this? A sudden conversion? Not exactly. The Morrison, for which Taylor was speaking, remains as locked in as ever to encouraging the denial for action on the climate crisis backing its benefactors in the fossil fuel industry.
What has changed is the circumstances in which it is operating. Buffeted on all sides by an undeniable truth, embarrassed by the fallout from its inadequate response to the New South Wales and Queensland bushfires, and at risk of standing out as a global pariah, has forced the Morrison government, and though this Anus Taylor, to pretend to be a team player in Madrid.
Isolated on the world stage is a real problem, and facing accusations of noit playingh fair, by being the only developed nation prepared to use carbon credits to avoids its responsibilities, is not a comfortable place to be. So the minister comes out with a speech pretending all out action to help stop the planet form warming up.
It’s not real of course.
As the detractors have said, the cliams are based on creative accounting. The suggestion that Australia is on track to meet our Paris commitments is laughable. The target is is supposed to be completed in 2020, snd thereis no chance it will be.
Next year is when the journey to a new and higher target is supposed to begin. Its not going to.
Nobody is being fooled by the fine sounding words with nothing behind them.
Below is what he said.
Angus Taylor’s speech
Australia's Energy Minister Angus Taylor has addressed the United Nations climate talks in Madrid, warning that "strong messages and targets alone won't address climate change, no matter how ambitious." pic.twitter.com/F0ZuaNcsvv
— SBS News (@SBSNews) December 10, 2019
How do you reconcile this with the following. The 2020 Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI), prepared by Germanwatch, compares the performance of a list of countries and ranks them accordingly. It looks at four areas, action across emissions, renewable energy, energy use and policy.
The data was examined and Australia ranked sixth worst out of the 57 countries on the list. When it came to energy policy Australia came last.
A report associated with the Index says:
“Experts note that the new government is an increasingly regressive force in negotiations and has been criticised for its lack of ambition by several Pacific Island nations in the context of this year’s Pacific Island Forum.
“The dismissal of recent IPCC reports, the government not attending the UN Climate Action Summit in September, and the withdrawal from funding the Green Climate Fund (GCF) underpin the overall very low performance in the climate policy category.”
This drew a rating on this category of 0.0 percent. In contrast, the highest scoring country, Portugal, got 97.8 percent.
In addition, Australia has failed to put forward a real 2030 target. If no number is put to it, there is no target. In contrast, Portugal has set clear goals. The targets are 55 percent reduction by 2030 and net zero emissions by 2050.
The report notes:
“While the government is not proposing any further targets for renewable energy beyond 2020, it continues to promote the expansion of fossil fuels and in April 2019 approved the opening of the highly controversial Adani coalmine.”
The unprecedented bushfires have underlined just how inadequate the response is, and the fact that changing weather patterns due to global warming are narrowing the room for denial, and exposes just how far the Morrison government is in cahoots with the fossil fuel industry.
This exposure is now so obvious that it is affecting a significant part of the government’s political base, some of which is joining in on the demand for action now.
A large portion of the areas burnt are in the Coalition’s heartland, and many there are angry, about the flippant disregard shown for the hard times they are going through.
Sydney hasn’t been spared. Australia’s largest city has been clouded in smoke. This doesn’t only look bad. Many have come down with respiratory problems.
Drought and fire have brought home the reality of water shortage. Towns are running out. little is there for the parched land and agricultural output is falling, pointing towards the possibility of a future where Australia can no longer feed itself.
Sydney, the Blue Mountains and the Illawarra were put on stage 2 water restrictions on 10 December.
The fires have caused many skeptics to realise that global warming real and imposes severe impacts on people and the economy. Nearly everyone is beginning to learn that this is not a problem for the future. The crisis has already begun, and will spiral out of control, unless the response over the next few years is up to the task.
An rise of only 1 degree centigrade has caused the extreme weather now being seen around the world. Imagine what and increase of 2 or 3 percent or even more will do.
At least the Morrison government can no longer deny the climate crisis exists. The bigger the pretense the greater the trouble it reaps for itself. A massive movement for change is establishing itself and growing. it cannot be ignored.
The rise of action by school students and Extinction Rebellion in Australia changed have sent shock waves throughthe pro fossil fuel establishment and changed the terrain.
Dissension is even penetrating the government’s political base and even entering the Coalition parties. Former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has joined and is publicly attacking government’s ongoing denial and foot dragging, and blames this and the fossil fuel lobby behind it, as the reason for the coup against his leadership.
Change is going to come. It won’t come form the government. This will come from the millions of Australians who will make it happen.
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