Sustainability and policy - Climate Change: Biological and Human Aspects - page 502

350

300

250

200

150

100

Total energy consumed
Fossil fuel consumed
Fossil fuel produced

50

0

1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

Year

Fig. 8.8 Australia'stotalenergyconsumption,itsfossilcarbondomesticproductionandconsumption.

Canadian citizens, hence twice those of most European countries (see Figure 7.1).
Nonetheless, despite high per-capita fossil carbon use and much political debate over
greenhouse issues, in 1998, under Prime Minister John Howard, Australia created
the Australian Greenhouse Office, that was then the world's first such governmental
agency. Then at the end of 2007 the Department of Climate change was established,
and subsequently renamed the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency.
Australia aimed to have a national emissions trading scheme operating after the end of
the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol (ending in 2012). Yet, perhaps not
surprisingly, progress has been difficult and in 2010 implementation of Australia's
Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme was delayed due to lack of political support
until after the Kyoto period ended (in 2012). Australia had a coalition government
which meant that legislation either already had to have broad political support to
be implemented or support had to be gained through arduous politicking. Here
climate change science and politics met in the form of a report by the Climate
Commission (from the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency). This
was in association with the Commonwealth Commission. The report, The Critical
Decade: Climate Science, Risks and Responses (Climate Commission, 2011), drew
on two science reviews of climate change, by Professor Ross Garnaut (2008, 2011).
Nonetheless despite political hurdles, in 2011 Australia narrowly passed a carbon tax
bill, the Clean Energy Bill, that would apply to around 500 large industrial emitters.
This saw a levy of AUS$23 per tonne of carbon dioxide emitted and this will increase
above inflation for 3-5 years, after which a broader emissions-trading scheme is
envisioned. The aim was that by 2020 emissions would be reduced to 5% below
levels seen in 2000, an overall saving of some 160 million t of carbon. Additionally,
the government increased Australia's long-term emissions-reduction target from a
60% cut below 2000 by 2050 to an 80% reduction, and this despite Prime Minister
Julia Gillard's pre-2010 election pledge not to introduce a carbon tax. Currently (2012)