Stances supported by right-wing political parties seeking to maintain the fossil fuel industry in the country and their traditional voting base Australia has a history of opposition to climate change in some community segments. Polarization around the science of climate change and the role of Australia in exporting it to the world via its...
Author: Robyn Gulliver (Robyn Gulliver)
Australian Forests Offset One-Third of the Nation’s Fossil Fuel Emissions
Australia is a large, dry country with diverse land cover. As of 2020, primary forest covered 134.01 million hectares, or 17% of the country’s approximately 769 million hectares of land. This accounts for around 3% of the world’s forest area. The most common forest type in Australia is Eucalypt, which covers 101 million hectares, or...
Australia Lags Behind Other Nations in the Percentage of Domestic Energy Consumption Provided by Renewables
Australia has long been known for its dependency on fossil fuel-produced energy, as well as its role as one of the world’s largest fossil fuel exporters, despite skyrocketing energy prices for domestic customers. Although the left-leaning Labor Federal Government has committed to accelerating the energy transition and has legislated a net zero emissions target, it...
Leading Country Climate NGOs: Climate Action Network Australia
Climate Action Network Australia (CANA) is Australia’s largest organization, bringing together climate advocacy groups across the country. It is currently led by Chief Executive Officer Glen Klatovsky. The organization’s head office is located at 20-40 Meagher Street, Chippendale, NSW, 2008, Australia, and it can be contacted by email at info@cana.net.au.With more than 150 nonprofit members,...
Australia is the Only Country to Have Implemented and Repealed an Emission Trading Scheme
Australia is the only nation that has implemented and repealed a carbon emission trading scheme. This reversal was a direct result of what has been termed Australia’s ‘climate wars’ – a saga of political strife and partisanship surrounding the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS). The rise and fall of Australia’s Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme Then,...
The Importance of Queensland State Election for Climate Policy in Australia
Australia, like many countries around the world, will be holding many elections in 2024. All Australian states and territories have fixed-term political representative appointments, except for Tasmania, and all Australian states and territories hold their elections every three or four years. In 2024, residents of Queensland, Tasmania, the Northern Territory, and the Australian Capital Region...
The Conflict Between Australia’s Fossil Fuel Dependency and its Climate Adaptation and Mitigation Commitments
Like many countries, Australia is highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and has many years of experience with the environmental, human, and economic consequences of these impacts. Despite this, Australia was ranked as the third largest fossil fuel exporter in 2019. Its fossil fuel exports in that year were nearly three-quarters the size...
Australia’s Most Significant Climate Policies and Programs in 2023
The Expanded Capacity Investment Scheme Australia continues to lag in progress and ambition in the global decarbonization race. However, some past and recent climate policies have yielded substantial success across some sectors, with many hoping for continued progress over the next decade. The most notable successes have been in the energy sector, where policies have...
Australia: Model Community Climate Mitigation Programs
Hepburn Shire Hepburn Z-NET is a community partnership project to transition Hepburn Shire in Victoria, Australia, the first zero-net emission shire (local council) in Australia. The Shire encompasses the land of the Dja Dja Wurrung people, covers around 1,473 square kilometres to the northeast of Melbourne, and includes 13 towns and villages, with a combined...
Australia: COP 28 Recommendations for Strengthening Country Climate Ambition
Dear Dr Sally Box (Head of Australian Delegation – Negotiations, sally.box@dcceew.gov.au) and Mr David Higgins (Head of Australian Delegation – Action Agenda, david.higgins@dcceew.gov.au), My name is Dr. Robyn Gulliver. I am the Country Manager for Australia for CLIMATE SCORECARD, a non-profit organization that monitors leading greenhouse gas-emitting countries’ climate policies and programs.Based on a...