Australia's Poor Record On Renewable Energy

Australia uses dirty coal-fired power and does relatively little to encourage renewables. The result is a disastrous energy policy that makes the country, per head, one of the world's worst greenhouse polluters. In the global greenhouse Hall of Shame, Australia occupies a unique position.

Look at the numbers. Due to the country's reliance upon brown and black coal, Australia's average electricity generation is the dirtiest in the OECD, at roughly .9 tonnes of CO2 per megawatthour of electricity produced. That's half-again as much as the usual global villain, the United States and twice the European Union average.

Australia's electricity generation is the dirtiest in the OECD

Source: Australian Business Council of Sustainable Energy

This wouldn't be so bad if at least Australia were trying, but it isn't even doing that. Australia's 2010 targets for use of renewable energy in the national economy ranks among the lowest in the OECD.

Australia not only has a low renewable energy target, but has one of the most sluggish programs to increase renewables among economically-developed countries

A Bright Future: 25% Renewable Energy for Australia by 2020; Greenpeace, ACF, CANA, 2007

Worse, Australia seems hellbent on continuing down the road of non-renewable resources -- ie coal and, in the future, nuclear. This is illustrated by the distribution of government largesse to the fossil fuel industry through the Low Emission Technology Demonstration Fund. Apart from one token renewable energy project, all other grants from the program have gone to traditional fossil fuel industries. In all, 82% of the $410 million disbursed thus far has gone to fossil fuel industries pursuing untried technologies.

Government funding for low emission technologies to date has gone overwhelmingly to fossil fuels

Source: LETDF

While Australia emits only a small amount of CO2 relative to larger countries, it is shamefully profligate when emissions are measured either on a per capita or unit of GDP basis. In 2004, Australia's net emissions of greenhouse gases amounted to 564 million tonnes, or 28 tonnes a person. Valued at A$35 per tonne, that comes out to roughly $980 per person per year in Australia. Per unit of GDP, Australia is in a class by itself with emissions nearly half-again as large as the United States.

Australia's Greenhouse emissions per capita and per unit of GDP are in a class by themselves

Source: Carbon Disclosure Project Report 2007, Investor Group on Climate Change/Australia-New Zealand