Saturday, November 17, 2007
Australia leads the world.... again
The Australian men’s cricket team unequivocally leads the world. Backing them up, Australian women lead in world in netball and hockey and the Kangaroos are surely the top rugby league side in the world.
Australia is also a world leader in emitting greenhouse gases from electricity generation. And as with the cricket, it beats second-placed by a significant margin.
Newly reported statistics from Carbon Monitoring for Action (CARMA) have demonstrated Australian power generation produces more CO2 per capita than any other nation. CARMA’s statistics come from a global inventory from 50,000 power stations around the world.
Australian power generators produce over 226 million tonnes of CO2 each year, around 10.7 tonnes for each person.
The USA came in a respectable 2nd place, with 9.2 tonnes per person, a good 15% behind.
And again, Australia has smashed the hapless Sri Lankans, who measure a mere 0.115 tonnes per person per year. A very poor showing, you’ll agree.
Australia’s poor record is a result of the confluence of a profligate use of electricity from both the residential and industrial sector, an extremely high reliance on coal for generation and a subsequently low proportion of energy generated from renewable sources.
Only now, in election year are carbon emissions being anything like suitably addresses by the politicians. Unfortunately the focus (and certainly the pork) is almost entirely concentrated on ‘end of pipe’ solutions, such as carbon sequestering and ‘clean coal’ technology.
Australia’s saving grace, is its future per capita emissions from energy generation are surprisingly set to not rise as fast as both the USA and the UK and definitely not as fast as Sri Lanka, which is expected to see a 692% growth in emissions from power generation. Australia would remain, however, head and shoulders above the rest.
Australia retards emissions agreements
In London, over 100 tourism ministers have met to discuss emissions as part of the World Tourism Marketing Summit.
Over 60 of the attendees pledged to tackle emissions from tourism and ratify a declaration thrashed out at the United Nations World Tourism Organisation meeting Davos in October.
CO2 emissions from tourism are becoming increasingly significant, due in large part to the massive growth in air travel and a rapidly expanding incomes around the globe. And there being no tax on aviation fuel.
Air travel from emissions are currently around 610 million tonnes. They are projected to rise to 776m tonnes in 2010 and 1228m tonnes in 2025. The global number of travellers is increasing by 5% per year, last year reaching 610 million people.
At the meeting, Sri Lanka’s representative remonstrated his country was fully committed to tackling the impact of tourism emissions, declaring Sri Lanka will become a “carbon clean” state.
True to form through the Howard years, Australia’s representative expressed doubt that Australia would be similarly committed. He simply warned glibly that we shouldn’t “demonise aviation”.
It is ironic that a poorer nation, not yet enjoying the benefits of mass-air travel should be taking such a progressive view, while at the same time, a country with an appalling emissions record is so uncompromising.
But still, just over one more week of a Coalition government left.
Australia leads the world.... again
Posted by Living with Matilda at 7:38 PM
The Australian men’s cricket team unequivocally leads the world. Backing them up, Australian women lead in world in netball and hockey and the Kangaroos are surely the top rugby league side in the world.
Australia is also a world leader in emitting greenhouse gases from electricity generation. And as with the cricket, it beats second-placed by a significant margin.
Newly reported statistics from Carbon Monitoring for Action (CARMA) have demonstrated Australian power generation produces more CO2 per capita than any other nation. CARMA’s statistics come from a global inventory from 50,000 power stations around the world.
Australian power generators produce over 226 million tonnes of CO2 each year, around 10.7 tonnes for each person.
The USA came in a respectable 2nd place, with 9.2 tonnes per person, a good 15% behind.
And again, Australia has smashed the hapless Sri Lankans, who measure a mere 0.115 tonnes per person per year. A very poor showing, you’ll agree.
Australia’s poor record is a result of the confluence of a profligate use of electricity from both the residential and industrial sector, an extremely high reliance on coal for generation and a subsequently low proportion of energy generated from renewable sources.
Only now, in election year are carbon emissions being anything like suitably addresses by the politicians. Unfortunately the focus (and certainly the pork) is almost entirely concentrated on ‘end of pipe’ solutions, such as carbon sequestering and ‘clean coal’ technology.
Australia’s saving grace, is its future per capita emissions from energy generation are surprisingly set to not rise as fast as both the USA and the UK and definitely not as fast as Sri Lanka, which is expected to see a 692% growth in emissions from power generation. Australia would remain, however, head and shoulders above the rest.
Australia retards emissions agreements
In London, over 100 tourism ministers have met to discuss emissions as part of the World Tourism Marketing Summit.
Over 60 of the attendees pledged to tackle emissions from tourism and ratify a declaration thrashed out at the United Nations World Tourism Organisation meeting Davos in October.
CO2 emissions from tourism are becoming increasingly significant, due in large part to the massive growth in air travel and a rapidly expanding incomes around the globe. And there being no tax on aviation fuel.
Air travel from emissions are currently around 610 million tonnes. They are projected to rise to 776m tonnes in 2010 and 1228m tonnes in 2025. The global number of travellers is increasing by 5% per year, last year reaching 610 million people.
At the meeting, Sri Lanka’s representative remonstrated his country was fully committed to tackling the impact of tourism emissions, declaring Sri Lanka will become a “carbon clean” state.
True to form through the Howard years, Australia’s representative expressed doubt that Australia would be similarly committed. He simply warned glibly that we shouldn’t “demonise aviation”.
It is ironic that a poorer nation, not yet enjoying the benefits of mass-air travel should be taking such a progressive view, while at the same time, a country with an appalling emissions record is so uncompromising.
But still, just over one more week of a Coalition government left.
Labels: climate change
Posted by Living with Matilda at 7:38 PM
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| I am employed by Brisbane City Council. All views expressed in this blog are my own and in no way reflect the views of my employer. |
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