Australia and the Paris Agreement
In case you were busy living under a rock (in which case I'd like to join you, it sounds quiet and dark and awesome), we are currently living in a world that is in danger from climate change. This is a thing that is now happening, apparently. A bunch of leader dudes (188, to be exact) have finally caught on and in 2016 they decided to sign an agreement to try and not kill the planet. (I am also fabulous at oversimplifying things.)
What does this mean? Allow me to explain. Countries who signed the Paris Agreement have agreed to limit their carbon emissions in order to prevent the temperature from rising 2 degrees Celsius (or possibly 1.5 degrees). The agreement kicks in in 2020. This is an incredible move towards a more sustainable future, involving more renewable energy, fewer emissions, and a cleaner future and I am stupidly proud that our leaders have taken this vital step.
So what has Australia done since 2016?
Well, not much.
The Coalition (our leading federal party, basically made of two parties (The Liberal Party of Australia and the National Party of Australia) (I know, I don't ask questions anymore)) says we're doing fine and we'll meet our 2030 goals. Of course, literally everyone else says that it's actually the other way around. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (which is a mouthful if ever I've seen one) says that while we'll probably meet our 2020 goals, we'll have to "intensify [our] efforts" in order to meet our 2030 goals. Some people have even said that Australia is being dodgy with our bookkeeping in order to appear to be meeting our goals.
Despite our abundance of sunshine and potential for renewable energies, Australia is heavily on coal to produce electricity. The country is caught between the economic benefit of the mines and a cleaner future. To be honest, I understand. I know tonnes of people who rely on the mines for their income and the thought of losing that would be scary and potentially devastating. The OECD recommends for us to reduce emissions in our energy sector, but that will mean cutting down on coal and pouring money into renewable energies. That's a hard pill for a lot of people to swallow.
I am and always have been conscious of the environment, and I know that makes me biased while writing something like this. But the state of Australia's biodiversity is "poor and worsening", our cities are at risk of inundation, there's about 50,000 mines around Australia that need rehabilitation, yet we have "no national long-term vision on sustainable development".
We need better policies in place to encourage businesses and the general population to get behind our climate goals. So whoever you are, wherever you are, change the way you think. Write to your leaders. Make new and better habits. We've come so far, but we have a long ways to go and this requires the cooperation of everyone.
Below are some resources for how you can get involved:
Year of Living Sustainably
Cowspiracy
The Lazy Person's Guide to Saving the World
Sustainable Development Goals: Energy
Sources:
UNFCCC
United Nations
The Sydney Morning Herald (1)
The Sydney Morning Herald (2)
The Guardian
What does this mean? Allow me to explain. Countries who signed the Paris Agreement have agreed to limit their carbon emissions in order to prevent the temperature from rising 2 degrees Celsius (or possibly 1.5 degrees). The agreement kicks in in 2020. This is an incredible move towards a more sustainable future, involving more renewable energy, fewer emissions, and a cleaner future and I am stupidly proud that our leaders have taken this vital step.
So what has Australia done since 2016?
Well, not much.
The Coalition (our leading federal party, basically made of two parties (The Liberal Party of Australia and the National Party of Australia) (I know, I don't ask questions anymore)) says we're doing fine and we'll meet our 2030 goals. Of course, literally everyone else says that it's actually the other way around. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (which is a mouthful if ever I've seen one) says that while we'll probably meet our 2020 goals, we'll have to "intensify [our] efforts" in order to meet our 2030 goals. Some people have even said that Australia is being dodgy with our bookkeeping in order to appear to be meeting our goals.
Despite our abundance of sunshine and potential for renewable energies, Australia is heavily on coal to produce electricity. The country is caught between the economic benefit of the mines and a cleaner future. To be honest, I understand. I know tonnes of people who rely on the mines for their income and the thought of losing that would be scary and potentially devastating. The OECD recommends for us to reduce emissions in our energy sector, but that will mean cutting down on coal and pouring money into renewable energies. That's a hard pill for a lot of people to swallow.
I am and always have been conscious of the environment, and I know that makes me biased while writing something like this. But the state of Australia's biodiversity is "poor and worsening", our cities are at risk of inundation, there's about 50,000 mines around Australia that need rehabilitation, yet we have "no national long-term vision on sustainable development".
We need better policies in place to encourage businesses and the general population to get behind our climate goals. So whoever you are, wherever you are, change the way you think. Write to your leaders. Make new and better habits. We've come so far, but we have a long ways to go and this requires the cooperation of everyone.
Below are some resources for how you can get involved:
Year of Living Sustainably
Cowspiracy
The Lazy Person's Guide to Saving the World
Sustainable Development Goals: Energy
Sources:
UNFCCC
United Nations
The Sydney Morning Herald (1)
The Sydney Morning Herald (2)
The Guardian
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