The race is on for the world to reach net zero emissions, a state in which all the greenhouse gasses humans emit into the atmosphere are balanced out by those that are absorbed.
“A good way to think about net zero is that there is a set of scales and there is a balance between the greenhouse gas emissions that are given off into the atmosphere and the emissions that are soaked up by our natural sinks,” Professor Deanna D’Alessandro, director of the University of Sydney's Net Zero Initiative, told SBS News.
“Net zero really means reducing our demand and moving to the use of forms of energy and transport that don't emit greenhouse gasses.
“And the other part of net zero, which is really the 'net' of net zero, means removing historical emissions of greenhouse gasses from the atmosphere.”
Professor Deanna D’Alessandro says that net zero can be conceptualised as set of scales: on one side is emitted greenhouse gasses, on the other is emissions sequestered by natural sinks. Credit: Matthew Vasilescu
These commitments have been legislated as part of Australia’s commitment to the Paris Agreement, which aims to limit global warming to no more than 1.5 degrees.
“We need to completely rebuild our electricity system, but it's not just electricity, we have cars, we have aeroplanes, industry and agriculture", Professor Michael Brear, director of the Melbourne Energy Institute at the University of Melbourne, told SBS News.
"We have other things that are significant sources of greenhouse gas emissions … and we need to find ways over the next less than 30 years to abate those sectors,” Brear says.
Professor D’Alessandro says if the government wants to get to net zero by 2050, “we need everything on the table.”
“It's not the time to be picking and choosing,” D’Alessandro said.
“We know we have a unique value proposition in Australia with our opportunity to implement renewables on a scale that is quite a lot larger than what's possible in other countries around the world.”
Global net zero commitments
According to Climate Watch, more than 90 parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change have communicated their net zero targets, but not all of them have enshrined their goals into legislation.
“We do see a lot of problems with greenwash with governments or corporations, a lot of spin and failure to actually achieve genuine emissions reductions, and that's what we need right now,” Simon Bradshaw, head of research at the Climate Council, told SBS News.
“We are still approving new coal and gas projects in 2023, when we are really on the edge of a climate abyss,” Simon Bradshaw says. Credit: The Climate Council.
Australia's net zero target of 2050 is in line with countries like New Zealand, Colombia, the United States and Japan.
The world's largest emitter of greenhouse gasses, China, aims to reach net zero by 2060, along with Saudi Arabia and Russia. India's target is 2070.
Eight countries have already achieved net zero - including Panama, Madagascar and Bhutan.
“We've got multiple strategies and we're putting them all into place,” Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen told SBS News.
“We're converting our grid from 33 per cent renewable to 82 per cent renewable by 2030. That's a big big job but we're getting on with it.
“We are working to decarbonise transport by looking to introduce fuel efficiency standards, we've cut electric vehicle taxes, we're cutting emissions from industry through our safeguard reforms.”
Climate policy track record
Australia is one of the world's largest consumers and producers of coal, with the country's energy needs predominantly met by fossil fuels.
“We are still approving new coal and gas projects in 2023, when we are really on the edge of a climate abyss,” Bradshaw says.
“That is extraordinarily reckless.
“The government could put a stop to this straight away by reforming our national environment laws.”
According to the Climate Change Performance Index 2023, Australia's climate mitigation efforts ranked 'very low'.
Out of 60 countries, none ranked in the top three, with no country’s climate record deemed strong enough to achieve a ‘very high’ rating. Denmark came in the top spot, the Islamic Republic of Iran came in last.
The Climate Change Performance Index results for 2023. Credit: Germanwatch, NewClimate Institute and the Climate Action Network.
"Our targets are similar to many countries like Canada, South Korea, economies that are industrial. But the important thing is getting on and delivering those targets.”
