Summary of the Climate and Energy Policy of Australia

Short description of climate and energy policy of Australia

1. CLIMATE & ENERGY POLICY OF AUSTRALIA Youssef Elhenawy Helin Ulgen Elmacioglu Yasmin de Moraes Gojo George Omer Iradukunda Mahmood Hebah Piyawan Hongsiriwilai Samuel Häußler

2. Introduction Australia is a developed country with a mixed-market economy . World's 13th-largest nominal GDP in 2022. Rich in natural resources (i.e. coal, ores). Primary energy mix in 2020–21: 92% Fossil fuels 8 % Renewable energies H igh per capita emissions ( 15.3 t/c*y ) compared to other countries e.g. Japan 9.7 t/c*y https://www.energy.gov.au/sites/default/files/Australian%20Energy%20Statistics%202022%20Energy%20Update%20Report.pdf https://www.energy.gov.au/publications/australian-energy-statistics-table-o-electricity-generation-fuel-type-2020-21-and-2021

3. Chronology 1992 Adoption of the UNFCCC: Australia ratifies UNFCCC: Australia is the 9th country to ratify the UNFCCC 1997 Adoption of the Kyoto Protocol at COP3 1998 Australia signs the Kyoto Protocol. However, Australia does not ratify the Kyoto protocol 2002 Australia refuses to ratify the Kyoto Protocol 2005 Kyoto Protocol comes into force 2007 Australia ratifies the Kyoto Protocol Labor party Labor party Liberal party

4. Chronology 2008 Australia’s ratification of the Kyoto Protocol comes into effect Target 2008–2012: +8% of 1990 levels 2012 Australia signs on for a second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol Target 2013–2020: -0.5% of 1990 levels 2021 2016 First NDC submission under the Paris Agreement Target to reduce GHG emissions by 26 to 28% below 2005 levels by 2030. Labor party Liberal party Australia ratified Paris Agreement together with EU and many countries. 5 Years Updated NDC: Target of net zero emissions by 2050. Target to reduce GHG emissions by 26-28% below 2005 levels by 2030 , and will exceed it by up to 9%.

5. Criticism Fr om other countries and the media for the lack of ambition in their NDC ’s . P ressure to increase the emissions reduction targets. H as been accused of prioritizing economic concerns over environmental ones. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-20/climate-change-ipcc-australia-uk-conference-glasgow/100392252 https://www.climatecouncil.org.au/resources/australia-ranks-dead-last-climate/ https://www.economist.com/asia/2021/10/30/australias-climate-policy-is-all-talk-and-no-trousers?gclid=Cj0KCQiA6fafBhC1ARIsAIJjL8lCeItEw4ZKjr70nRl1xeflCVPlKa6wzoNrBBny3NdVzZyl6MsfMYIaAsKGEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds Countries Emission Reduction Target by 2030 (%) UK 68 EU 55 US 52 Japan 46 Australia 28

6. NDC last updated in June 2022: Net zero emissions by 2050 To reduce greenhouse gas emissions 43% below 2005 levels by 2030 Commitments & Targets https://unfccc.int/sites/default/files/NDC/2022-06/Australias%20NDC%20June%202022%20Update%20%283%29.pdf 2021 Updated NDC: Target of net zero emissions by 2050. Target to reduce GHG emissions by 26 to 28% below 2005 levels by 2030, and will exceed it by up to 9 percentage. 2022 Re-Updated NDC Labor party Liberal party

7. Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF) F inancial incentives for businesses and organizations to reduce their GHG emissions. Use of C arbon Crediting Scheme: companies can earn carbon credit units (ACCU) for every tonne of CO 2 eq (tCO2-e) emissions stored or avoided by their project, which can then be sold. Climate Policy https://www.cleanenergyregulator.gov.au/Infohub/Media-Centre/Pages/Resources/ERF%20media%20resources/Emissions-Position-as-at-March-2022.aspx Cumulative total number of ERF projects registered in each state and territory across Australia, as at 31 March 2022

8. 2) National Energy Productivity plan (NEPP) Energy efficiency and performance are key to achieve targets. It is expected that the NEPP will contribute over one quarter of the emission reductions required to meet the 2030 target. Climate Policy National Energy Productivity Plan (NEPP) details https://policy.asiapacificenergy.org/sites/default/files/NEPP%20Annual%20Report%202016_0.pdf

9. Australian electricity generation by renewables Generation from renewables has increased 167% over the past decade 3) Renewable energy target scheme (RETs) Incentives for both small and large scale renewable projects. Large scale RE target aiming to deliver 33,000 GWh of extra renewable electricity each year until 2030. Small scale RE projects increase allows the system owners to sell surplus electricity to retailers by the use of small-scale technology certificates (STCs) Renewable energy accounted for 27.7% of the total electricity generation in 2020 and it is expected to reach 61% by 2030. Energy Policy

10. 4) Funding for “clean” hydrogen* and carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies 80 renewable hydrogen projects announced 15 have passed the final investment decision. Total budget amounts 1.27 bn USD. Very important in terms of fuel security . Intended uses: to replace natural gas for homes, industry and cooking. for fuel cells to generate electricity to power cars. to store energy and generate electricity for remote areas. to trade clean energy with other countries. Energy Policy *clean hydrogen means hydrogen produced using renewable energy or using fossil fuels with substantial carbon capture. https://www.pv-magazine.com/2018/08/20/australia-has-big-hydrogen-export-opportunity/ Energy resource options for producing hydrogen across Australia’s states and territories

11. National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Scheme single national framework for reporting company information about: GHG emissions, energy production, energy consumption. Safeguard Mechanism Largest GHG emitters (>100,000 tonnes CO2 eq / year) must keep emissions below a limit (baseline). Electricity, mining, oil and gas production, manufacturing, transport, and waste facilities. Upgrading the electricity grid to support more renewable power. Reducing the price of electric vehicles. Supporting businesses and industries to innovate and adopt smarter practices and technologies. Encouraging businesses and consumers to reduce emissions. Helping the land and agriculture sector reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Regulating fuel quality by setting fuel quality standards and labelling requirements. Energy & Climate Policy

12. USD 7.59 billion to support different energy t echnologies through new or amended policies (2021) USD 1.69 billion for unconditional fossil fuels through 20 policies (9 quantified and 11 unquantified) Energy & Climate Policy USD 587.96 million for conditional fossil fuels through 5 policies (4 quantified and 1 unquantified) USD 3.29 billion for unconditional clean energy through 29 policies (25 quantified and 4 unquantified) USD 1.29 billion for conditional clean energy through 13 policies (13 quantified) U SD 1.29 billion for conditional clean energy through 13 policies (13 quantified) $2.28 billion F ossil fuel energy $4.57 billion C lean energy

13. LULUCF & Forest Fires Australia is using LULUCF to meet its Paris Agreement targets. Over 70% of its carbon sink. has potential for further carbon sequestration. Accurate monitoring and reporting are essential for effective LULUCF accounting. Forest management practices and changes in land use can affect LULUCF. The impact of forest fires on LULUCF highlights the need for forest management and fire prevention. 2019-2020 bushfires burned over 18 million ha

14. Becoming more intense due to climate change. Causing significant damage to wildlife, homes, and infrastructure. Emitting massive amounts of CO 2 and other pollutants into the atmosphere. The fires in 2019 and 2020, added an extra 186 million tons of carbon into the atmosphere. Forest Fires

15. Australia's Kyoto Protocol reports include: GHG emissions Used land-use, land-use change, and forestry to meet its targets. Australia's Paris Agreement NDC reports about: Mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions. Adaptation to unavoidable impacts of climate change. Promotion of sustainable land use practices. Increase of energy efficiency and renewable energy. Support to low-carbon transportation options. Encouraging of waste reduction and recycling. UNFCCC

16. UNFCCC recent negotiations COP 18 - 2012 Sign of the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol Target of 99.5% of 1990 emissions levels by 2020 (equivalent to 5% below 2000 emission levels by 2020) COP 20 - 2014 Australia on behalf of umbrella group: Commitment to the negotiations of the Paris Agreement next year. Commitment to take strong and effective Climate Action. COP 22 - 2016 Ratification of the Paris Agreement. Target to reduce GHG emissions by 26 to 28% below 2005 levels by 2030. COP 23 - 2017 2030 target to reduce emissions by 26 to 28 per cent below 2005 levels. https://unfccc.int/documents/623827

17. UNFCCC recent negotiations COP 24 - 2018 Policies to align strong economic growth with emissions reduction. COP 26 Glasgow - 2021 Net zero emissions by 2050. Technology will have the answers to a decarbonised economy. COP 27 - 2022 Increase the emissions reduction target to 43% by 2030 in the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC). Assistance to the region with $900 million t o deal with climate emergency (2022) Within this decade, 82 per cent of Australia’s energy supply will be renewable. https://unfccc.int/documents/623827

18. Future climate agreement negotiations From 1 July 2022, new Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) . Climate Change Act (8 September 2022) It legislates Australia’s targets by 2030 and 2050. It requires the Minister to prepare an Annual Climate Change Statement to Parliament (holding the Government accountable for meeting Australia’s targets and creating effective climate change policy.) Each Australian state has stated or made a commitment to reach net zero by 2050 , or earlier. NSW: 50%; Victoria: 50%; Queensland: 30%; South Australia: at least 50%; Western Australia: 80% below 2020 levels; ACT: 65-75% (on 1990 levels); Tasmania: achieved net zero in 2015. https://www.dcceew.gov.au/climate-change/strategies#toc_0

19. Thanks for your attention! Questions?

20. References https://www.energypolicytracker.org/country/australia/ https://climateactiontracker.org/countries/australia/ https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/BriefingBook45p/EmissionsReduction https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/12/3/438 https://www.atse.org.au/news-and-events/article/emissions-targets-are-we-on-track/ https://unfccc.int/NDCREG?fbclid=IwAR0AEN1JVu0u-7LxkooKjB3zTSscxmcflkXp6m7WLnkBpf89mLKylF1rLGo https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-20/climate-change-ipcc-australia-uk-conference-glasgow/100392252 https://www.aofm.gov.au/media/967 https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/BriefingBook45p/EmissionsReduction https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/12/3/438 https://www.atse.org.au/news-and-events/article/emissions-targets-are-we-on-track/ https://www.energy.gov.au/data/australian-electricity-generation-fuel-mix https://www.energy.gov.au/data/renewables https://www.trade.gov/market-intelligence/australia-renewable-energy https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/BriefingBook45p/EmissionsReduction https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/fires-doubled-australias-carbon-emissions-ecosystems-may-never-soak-it-back-up/#:~:text=These%20fires%20likely%20released%20somewhere,year%20by%20burning%20fossil%20fuels