UN chief singles out Australia as ‘holdout’ on climate action in ‘striking’ criticism

March 21 2022
New Daily

The United Nations secretary-general has called Australia a “holdout” after Scott Morrison refused to strengthen the nation’s 2030 emissions reduction target.   :(

António Guterres has used an address to a sustainability summit to take an extraordinary public swipe at Australia’s climate change efforts.

“A growing number of G20 developed economies have announced meaningful emissions reductions by 2030 – with a handful of holdouts, such as Australia,” he said.

He said the Paris climate pact’s ambition of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius was “on life support” but there was still something that could save it.

“Keeping 1.5 alive requires a 45 per cent reduction in global emissions by 2030 and carbon neutrality by mid-century. That problem was not solved in Glasgow,” the UN chief said.

The Prime Minister went to Glasgow last year without the two big things countries were asked for: Stronger 2030 targets, and a rapid phase out of coal.   

Mr Morrison instead stuck to a six-year-old promise to cut emissions by 26 to 28 per cent cut by 2030, but did say Australia would probably reach 35 per cent by then.

He also refused to commit to an accelerated phase out of coal.

His plan to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 relies on a technology-led economic evolution to cut emissions, capture and store them, or offset them, while allowing coal and gas exports to continue as long as there is demand.

Mr Guterres implored all G20 governments to dismantle their domestic coal infrastructure, with full phase out by 2030 for OECD countries, and 2040 for all others.

He called coal a “stupid investment” that would lead to billions in stranded assets.   

Simon Bradshaw, head of research at the Climate Council, said the UN chief’s direct and veiled attacks on Australia’s climate policies were striking.

“It’s very unusual for the UN secretary-general to call out any country, specifically. I don’t recall a time when this has happened. It’s striking to see,” he said.

“What it indicates is that we’re going to keep seeing that pressure on Australia until we step up. We’re still the only one of those big developed countries that hasn’t significantly increased its commitments for this decade.”

Imogen Zethoven sits on the Reef 2050 Advisory Committee, where she represents the Queensland Conservation Council.

On Tuesday she’ll address a UN monitoring mission that is in Australia to evaluate federal government efforts to protect the Great Barrier Reef from climate change and other threats.

“The Morrison government should be shamed into action by this comment by the UN secretary-general,” she said.

She said the influence the coal and gas industries have over Australia’s climate policies was disturbing.

“They are running our climate policy and it’s at the expense of the Great Barrier Reef, other vulnerable ecosystems, communities and future generations of Australians, including quiet Australians.”

The Prime Minister did not respond to requests for comment.

A spokesperson for Emissions Reduction Minister Angus Taylor said Australia had reduced emissions faster than 15 members of the G20.

“We have a real plan to deliver on our commitments, one that relies on technology not taxes,” he said.

“We won’t sacrifice our traditional industries – and the jobs and communities they support – at the altar of emissions reduction.”

He said those industries and their workers would have an important role in the decades ahead.

“The Morrison government should be shamed into action by this comment by the UN secretary-general,”
Shame? How do you shame a Gov’t devoid of anything like a moral code ?

Who could take Gutierrez seriously??? His response to Russia's invasion of the Ukraine was to quote Lennon.... "give peace a chance".

Does the Morrison government care about climate change?.   :(

LoL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_power_by_country

https://i.ibb.co/cyPw2nW/Screenshot-2022-03-22-at-11-37-39-Solar-power-by-country-Wikipedia.png

We're first as a proportion of solar energy used, and 8th in outright production.

Look at the populations of the other countries in the top 10.

https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/solar-power-by-country

Climate action. Such a bunch of nutty brats. Leave them there for a few days and then charge them for the clean up.

https://mobile.twitter.com/TPostMillennial/status/1544332587623120896



Run these ones over - hanging's too good for 'em.  :D  :D

https://mobile.twitter.com/AGHamilton29/status/1544669062663380993

Just Stop Oil protestors

Needless to say, their cause is wrong as well as irritating. Everyone in this country is suffering a cost of living crisis. Everyone looks at their energy bills and wonders ‘How did that happen?’ The one thing that would be a dead cert to make things worse would be to ‘Just stop oil’. If we just stopped oil the country would go dark. Perhaps some day we can run the grid off magnificent solar farms and wind farms that cover all remaining green spaces. But for now we don’t have the capabilities. So a more destructive and short-termist demand than ‘Just stop oil’ is hard to imagine.

Whenever they glued their hands to the ground and stopped ambulances passing, commuters getting to work and children getting to school, I thought: why do the police not just pull them off the roads?

The French police, who are slightly less pacifist than our own, did just that when the eco-nutters tried that trick there recently. The French police did not just simply stand around acting as a sort of personal protection force for the protestors, then threatening any motorists who dared to be angry. The French police pepper-sprayed the activists and just tore them off the Tarmac, causing a certain amount of ripped skin and a rather pleasing amount of rolling around on the floor – as though the protestors had never imagined that supergluing themselves to a motorway could have any negative consequences.

Which brings me to the activists’ latest tactic, which is gluing themselves to priceless works of art. It started last week in the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow. They stuck themselves to a painting’s frame while their brave comrades spray-painted slogans around various works of art. As they were finally led away one shouted: ‘The art world is responsible. Every sector of our culture is responsible.’
Douglas Murray

Frank wrote on Jul 14^th, 2022 at 2:39pm:

Just Stop Oil protestors Needless to say, their cause is wrong as well as irritating. Everyone in this country is suffering a cost of living crisis. Everyone looks at their energy bills and wonders ‘How did that happen?’ The one thing that would be a dead cert to make things worse would be to ‘Just stop oil’. If we just stopped oil the country would go dark. Perhaps some day we can run the grid off magnificent solar farms and wind farms that cover all remaining green spaces. But for now we don’t have the capabilities. So a more destructive and short-termist demand than ‘Just stop oil’ is hard to imagine. Whenever they glued their hands to the ground and stopped ambulances passing, commuters getting to work and children getting to school, I thought: why do the police not just pull them off the roads? The French police, who are slightly less pacifist than our own, did just that when the eco-nutters tried that trick there recently. The French police did not just simply stand around acting as a sort of personal protection force for the protestors, then threatening any motorists who dared to be angry. The French police pepper-sprayed the activists and just tore them off the Tarmac, causing a certain amount of ripped skin and a rather pleasing amount of rolling around on the floor – as though the protestors had never imagined that supergluing themselves to a motorway could have any negative consequences. Which brings me to the activists’ latest tactic, which is gluing themselves to priceless works of art. It started last week in the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow. They stuck themselves to a painting’s frame while their brave comrades spray-painted slogans around various works of art. As they were finally led away one shouted: ‘The art world is responsible. Every sector of our culture is responsible.’ Douglas Murray

We certainly  don't need any more oil and gas projects over and above those we already have.

We DO need  immediate investment in roof-top solar and batteries, and grid plus grid-scale storage (pumped hydro storage etc).  Get to it!

But the private sector will be dragged kicking and screaming, because better profits are to be had in fossil exploitation.

As for protests, if people had well-paying jobs they wouldn't be inclined to protest.

thegreatdivide wrote on Jul 14^th, 2022 at 4:03pm:

But the private sector will be dragged kicking and screaming, because better profits are to be had in fossil exploitation.

With no subsidies there are NO profits in renewables. ::)


thegreatdivide wrote on Jul 14^th, 2022 at 4:03pm:

As for protests, if people had well-paying jobs they wouldn't be inclined to protest.

Let's pay the unemployed $100,000 a year. Fixed. ::)

Northern Australian beaches inundated by thousands of tonnes of plastic waste from Asia
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-07-23/plastic-waste-growing-on-arnhem-land-beaches-indigenous-rangers/101254974

the bulk of the rubbish hailing from Indonesia, with other items from China, Taiwan and Thailand.

lee wrote on Jul 14^th, 2022 at 4:07pm:

thegreatdivide wrote on Jul 14th, 2022 at 4:03pm: But the private sector will be dragged kicking and screaming, because better profits are to be had in fossil exploitation. With no subsidies there are NO profits in renewables. ::) thegreatdivide wrote on Jul 14th, 2022 at 4:03pm: As for protests, if people had well-paying jobs they wouldn't be inclined to protest. Let's pay the unemployed $100,000 a year. Fixed. ::)

You are an idiot

Top 10 Countries with the Highest Greenhouse Gas Emissions - in million tonnes:

    China — 9,877
    United States — 4,745

    India — 2,310
    Russia — 1,640

    Japan — 1,056
    Germany — 644

    South Korea — 586
    Iran — 583

    Canada — 571
    Saudi Arabia — 495

Oh... and Australia?    494.2 million tonnes.

As a wealthy Western country the Americans should be ashamed of themselves.      >:(

lee wrote on Jul 14^th, 2022 at 4:07pm:

...With no subsidies there are NO profits in renewables.

Not so.  The price per unit of electricity to the consumer is factored to
include a profit margin for the producer, be that wind or solar.  Just as
it is with coal and gas at the moment.

AusGeoff wrote on Jul 24^th, 2022 at 12:18pm:

The price per unit of electricity to the consumer is factored to include a profit margin

Renewables bid for power. If they underbid the amount of power supplied or overbid the price they don't have to supply as they will not be accepted.. However they still get the subsidies.

By bidding, if accepted, they now must supply the amount offered at the price offered. If they foresee a problem - Storms etc that will limit light, wind they underbid (offer minimum GWh) or overbid the price and don't get accepted.

If they accept and can't supply they have to buy the power from elsewhere.

https://www.aemc.gov.au/energy-system/electricity/electricity-market/how-power-dispatched-across-system

https://media.gab.com/system/media_attachments/files/111/878/267/original/542c0c3046046c75.jpg

Great meme and so true.
It's not fair that Australia is singled out.

The numbers are different here:


https://media.gab.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=700,quality=100,fit=scale-down/system/media_attachments/files/111/878/291/original/b7289ec04d9f2dbe.jpg

AusGeoff wrote on Jul 24^th, 2022 at 12:18pm:

lee wrote on Jul 14th, 2022 at 4:07pm: ...With no subsidies there are NO profits in renewables. Not so.  The price per unit of electricity to the consumer is factored to include a profit margin for the producer, be that wind or solar.  Just as it is with coal and gas at the moment.

Nonsense.

If my backyard coal furnace, plugged into the grid and attracting subsidies like a rooftop solar, nobody would have solar.