A move by US President Barack Obama to cut emissions from coal-fired power stations is the strongest signal yet that the United States is getting serious about climate change and puts further pressure on Australia to stay the course on pollution reductions.
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The announcement comes as Australia is preparing to walk away from successful emissions-cutting initiatives like the Renewable Energy Target, the Clean Energy Finance Corporation and carbon pricing.
This is a major development in United States climate change policy and should be welcomed by Australia and the world.
Australia will be among the hardest and earliest hit by global warming through extreme weather, impacts on agriculture and damage to the Great Barrier Reef.
It’s in our national interest to stay the course on cutting emissions.
But while the US is introducing strong new policies to cut emissions, Australia is preparing to abandon successful pollution-cutting initiatives like the Renewable Energy Target, the Clean Energy Finance Corporation and carbon pricing.
The new regulations show the US takes seriously its international commitment to cut emissions by 17 per cent below 2005 levels by 2020, demonstrating its willingness to do its share to help solve global warming.
To match the United States target Australia would need to strengthen its current target of 5 per cent below 2000 levels by 2020 to a 20 per cent reduction in emissions by 2020.
WWF is calling on new cross-bench Senators, who will take their seats in less than a month, to send a clear message to the Government.
The message is that, like the US, Australia can and should be doing more to tackle global warming.
WWF-Australia
Kellie Caught
