Lambasting China over its emissions might impress the US but it could be costly for Australia

(The Guardian, 25 Sep 2019) In many regards, China’s climate action is stronger than that of Australia or America, at much lower levels of development.

Visiting the United States, Australia’s prime minister demanded of China “participation in addressing important global environmental challenges” in light of its “new status and responsibilities”. As part of a broad call to expect more of China, the comments on environment caught attention as they were made at the time of the UN climate summit.

Pointing to China’s emissions growth as an excuse for lack of climate action in Australia was in vogue a decade and longer ago. Then, China’s energy use and carbon emissions rose sharply with its investments in factories, infrastructure and housing. But things have changed in China, and there no longer is a formal distinction between climate pledges from developed and developing countries. In many regards, China’s climate action is stronger than that of Australia or America, at much lower levels of development.

Do the PM’s advisers know? An up-to-date cheat sheet would read like this.

1. China’s CO2 emissions from fossil fuels use rose by just 2% over the last five years (2013-18), with all of that growth in 2018 after a four-year hiatus. That is a stark difference to earlier: China’s CO2 output rose 25% over the five years before that, and 62% the five years before that, according to data compiled by BP. In the US, these emissions fell by 2.5% over the last five years. In Australia, emissions from fossil fuel use rose by 3.6% from 2013-18, faster than the world average of 3.2%; Australia’s overall national emissions rose by 3.9% over the five years. Australia has nothing to brag about in terms of recent emissions growth.

2. The emissions pledges under the Paris agreement do not distinguish between developed and developing countries, in contrast to the Kyoto protocol. All countries are called on to act, and the vast majority of countries have pledged to cut or limit their emissions. China has quantitative targets. The principle of “common but differentiated commitments” applies, with higher expectations placed on more developed countries, but there is no formal distinction.

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The Guardian, 25 Sep 2019: Lambasting China over its emissions might impress the US but it could be costly for Australia