By Celine Lai
Michael Mazengerb from Renew Economy reported on 15 July 2021 that the European Commission has outlined an ambitious policy package to more than halve its emissions by 2030, a move which could have major consequences for climate recalcitrant trading partners like Australia – including an A$80 plus per tonne carbon tax on imports.
In mid-July, the European Commission unveiled its ‘Fit for 55’ policy package, designed to deliver a 55 per cent cut to emissions by 2030, which includes stricter emissions caps, increased spending on clean energy projects and an effective ban on petrol-fuelled vehicles by 2035.
“Fossil fuel economy has reached its limits”: EU to slash emissions and drag Australia with it
An excerpt from the Renew Economy Report
“Crucially, this directive will apply to all energy sources, not just electricity generation – and will see a ramp-up of renewable energy use in transport, heating and cooling and industry. It will likely drive ongoing investment in new biofuels and green hydrogen use.
The package will also include strict new limits on emissions from passenger vehicles, with a target of emissions of new cars to be cut by an average of 55 per cent by 2030 and 100 per cent by 2035.
The package will have major ramifications for countries like Australia, which have significant trade links with EU countries but have yet to adopt similarly ambitious policies to tackle climate change.
Targeting these countries, the European Commission has proposed the creation of a new Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism that will put an effective price on emissions embodied in goods imported into the European Union.
The proposal will target the imports of emissions-intensive materials, such as iron, steel, and aluminium.
This is significant for Australia, as the EU ranks as Australia’s third largest export partner, with coal and metals representing the largest segments by value sent from Australia into Europe.
It could also serve as a model for other countries, and other major Australian trading partners, to introduce similar measures.”
Australia has been singled out as a prime target of such measures, with the Morrison government refusing to commit to a 2050 net-zero emissions target and refusing to introduce meaningful policies to reduce emissions.
For the complete report, click on the link below:
Increasingly, the current Australian government is regarded by many as an embarrassment, desperately grabbing at a gas-led recovery, and at a limited plan to use already existing technology for beknighted carbon sequestration, to garner support from the fossil fuel lobby.
You can read the submissions against a gas-led recovery, made by Celine Lai and by David McEwen of the Australian Parents for Climate Action at this link here, which show that new fossil gas plays no part in Australia’s future.
It’s time for the Australian government to stop trying to pull the wool over the eyes of Australian citizens, claiming that more gas is needed and that our economy cannot grow without coal and fossil gas expansion.
Greenhouse gas emissions, and burning of CH4 or methane from new gas projects, are polluting and warming the Earth, leading to hotter temperatures, increased fire risks, and health problems.
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