Australian Targets

Wednesday, December 13, 2023

CCPI: Australia improves 5 places to the low category in the 2024 Climate Change performance Index


Two years in succession Australia has improved its total ranking in the Climate Change Performance index. In 2022 it jumped 4 places and in 2023 jumped another 5 places. This still places Australia at 50th ranking of 67 countries assessed, in the Low overall rating..

In 2023 CCPI report Australia still ranked very low, but was starting to improve in some categories.

For the 2022 CCPI report Australia was listed way down the bottom on greenhouse gas emissions, renewables, energy use and very last (64th) on climate policy. We ranked 58th overall. Changing to the Labor Government in May 2022 has improved our rankings the last two years and is likely to improve the rating again for 2025. The report makes clear that Stopping new fossil fuel projects and phasing out fossil fuel subsidies as part of phasing out fossil fuels would bring substantial improvement in the rating.


The CCPI assesses countries’ performance in four categories:

  • “GHG Emissions” (40% of overall score),
  • “Renewable Energy” (20% of overall score),
  • “Energy Use” (20% of overall score) and
  • “Climate Policy” (20% of overall score).

On Greenhouse gas emissions Australia ranked 38th.

On Renewable energy Australia ranked 40th.

On Energy use ranked 59th.

On Climate Policy ranked 50th.

Here is what the 2024 report says on Australia:

Australia’s overall ranking improves by five spots to 50th in this year’s CCPI. Australia is now among the low performers.

The country gets a low in the GHG Emissions, Renewable Energy, and Climate Policy categories, and a very low for Energy Use.

Australia’s 2030 climate goal is to reduce GHG emissions by 43% vs. 2005 levels. The country plans to achieve net zero by 2050. The government also sets a renewable electricity target of 82% by 2030. The CCPI climate experts welcome these goals. Nevertheless, the ambitions lack detailed plans and policies for achieving the targets, and there seems to be no intent to set more ambitious targets. Australia has still not addressed the rising emissions from transport with either updated fuel policies or effective incentives to purchase battery-powered electric vehicles.

Australia continues to develop fossil fuel projects and infrastructure, and its developed gas reserves rank it among the world’s top 20. The country is one of nine countries collectively responsible for 90% of global coal production and it plans to increase coal and gas production by 2030.

The increase is not compatible with the global 1.5°C target. There is no fossil fuel phase-out in sight, nor is there a concrete plan to limit fossil fuel extraction. The CCPI experts demand a clear fossil fuel phase-out, the end of fossil fuel subsidies, and government investment in more renewable energy.

In international climate politics, Australia has shown some progress in joining the Global Methane Pledge but it is donating little to the Green Climate Fund and does not take a leading role in climate diplomacy.

Overall, the experts demand a concrete phase-out plan for fossil fuels and for Australia to take a leading role in climate politics. Joining the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance and Powering Past Coal Alliance would be first steps.

The country has good potential for renewable energy and should use this potential to ensure its renewable electricity goals are implemented.

The assessment probably came to early to take into account the Federal Government announcement for 32GW Renewables Boost through Capacity Investment Scheme (CIS) on November 23, which provides a plan to meet the 82 percent renewables by 2030 plan and to achieve at least 42 percent emissions reduction by 2030.

Australia's Renewable energy target of 82 percent by 2030 is in the ball park for ambition. Portugal, Sweden, Spain, Germany, Ireland, and Greece all now aim to surpass 80% renewables in electricity supply or consumption by 2030. Chile also improved its target from 60% in 2035 to 80% in 2030. Both Denmark, Estonia, New Zealand and Austria are all targeting 100 percent renewable electricity by 2030.

We are still waiting for Fuel emission standards, and whether they will be ambitious enough to rapidly ramp up electric vehicle sales. No effort appears to be going into active transport and micro-mobility such as e-bikes and e-scooters, although we know these can substantially reduce transport emissions in urban areas.

Australia has recently contributed $50 million after rejoining the Green Climate Fund, and has also contributed $100 million to a recently established Pacific Climate Resilience Fund. It has been silent on making a contribution to the new Loss and Damage Fund, even though it was represented on the Transitional Committee. Australian NGOs have urged the Minister in an open letter to contribute $100 million.

Australia has also taken a moderately ambitious attitude to COP28 diplomacy and ambitious Global Stock Take text, endorsing language to phaseout  fossil fuels, although not without using weazle qualifying terms such as 'unabated'. This term can apply to use of carbon offsets or carbon capture and storage both of which have problems in integrity. Australia is pushing for Unabated Fossil Fuel Phaseout at COP28, while opening offshore CCS opportunities to expand Fossil gas such as from the Barossa project near the Tiwi Islands. (Climate Citizen)

In the Country specific page on the CCPI website the report calls out Australia for continuing to expand fossil fuel production and keeping fossil fuel subsidies. Both of these actions could be addressed by the current government, if it wanted to and had the political will.

"Australia continues to develop fossil fuel projects and infrastructure, and its developed gas reserves rank it among the world’s top 20. The country is one of nine countries collectively responsible for 90% of global coal production and it plans to increase coal and gas production by over 5% by 2030. The increase is not compatible with the global 1.5°C target. There is no fossil fuel phase-out in sight, nor is there a concrete plan to limit fossil fuel extraction. The CCPI experts demand a clear fossil fuel phase-out, the end of fossil fuel subsidies, and government investment in more renewable energy.

"In international climate politics, Australia has shown some progress in joining the Global Methane Pledge but it is donating little to the Green Climate Fund and does not take a leading role in climate diplomacy."

While Australia has now contributed to the Green Climate Fund, it is silent about contributiing to the new Loss and Damage Fund. While Australian has joined the Global Methane Plan, it is yet to release a methane action plan, and this also needs to address major under-reporting of fugitive methane emissions. 

G20 Performance:

With India (7th), Germany (14th), and the EU (16th), only three G20 countries/regions are among the high performers in CCPI 2024. Fifteen G20 countries receive an overall low or very low. 

The G20 is particularly responsible for climate mitigation, as its members account for more than 75% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions.

Canada, Russia, the Republic of Korea, and Saudi Arabia are still the G20’s worst-performing countries.

References:

Climate Change Performance Index Australia page: https://ccpi.org/country/aus/

Climate Change Performance index 2024, Jan Burck, Thea Uhlich, Christoph Bals, Niklas Höhne, Leonardo Nascrimiento, 8th of December 2023, https://ccpi.org/download/climate-change-performance-index-2024/


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