China and other big emitters challenge Australia over its climate change policies

Adam Morton and Tom Arup

The world's biggest greenhouse gas emitters, including China and the US, have questioned the credibility of Australia's climate change targets and "direct action" policy in a list of queries to the Abbott government.

In the latest sign of diplomatic pressure over Canberra's stance on global warming, China accused Australia of doing less to cut emissions than it is demanding of other developed countries, and asked it to explain why this was fair.

Illustration: Matt Golding.

Beijing also questioned whether the Abbott government's emissions reduction fund – the centrepiece of its direct action policy, under which the government will pay some emitters to make cuts – would be enough to make up for the axed carbon price and meet Australia's commitment of a minimum 5 per cent emissions cut below 2000 levels by 2020.

The questions have been lodged with the United Nations for Australia to answer in the lead-up to the December climate summit in Paris, where the world is supposed to sign a global deal to combat climate change.

It comes as Australia is facing questions in diplomatic circles for not sending a minister or its chief climate change negotiator to a meeting of the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate in Washington DC, starting on Sunday.

In other questions posed to Australia through the UN:To be opened by US Secretary of State John Kerry, the forum is meant to bring together ministerial representatives from 17 major countries in a bid to accelerate work on a climate deal. Australia is being represented by environment department head Gordon de Brouwer​.

• The US asked whether the emissions reduction fund was the main replacement for carbon pricing, or whether Australia planned to introduce other policies.
• Brazil accused Australia of having a "low level of ambition", and asked whether it would boost its target to cut emissions more quickly. It also said Australia had effectively reduced the pace at which it cut industrial emissions by expanding the number of agricultural programs included in its greenhouse accounting, summarising: "This kind of action seems to make the level of ambition lower, not higher."
• Both China and Brazil noted Australia's industrial emissions increased by more than 30 per cent between 1990 and this decade, and it was relying on accounting rules that reflected changes in emissions from the land to give it a chance to meet its targets.
• The European Union questioned whether the emissions reduction fund could deliver a 15 or 25 per cent cut by 2020 – targets Australia has said it would embrace if other countries did the equivalent.

Erwin Jackson, deputy chief executive of the Climate Institute and a long-time observer of climate negotiations, said the questions showed the international community saw Australia's commitments as "woefully inadequate" for it to do its fair share in meeting the agreed global target of keeping warming to within 2 degrees.

"This is the first salvo. If the government doesn't come forward with a credible post-2020 target these kind of criticism will continue and only increase as other countries accelerate and deepen their own action," he said.

Australia has signalled it will announce its new climate target for beyond 2020 about the time of the Bonn meeting.

The Abbott government does not have a climate policy beyond 2020, and several local analysts have found it is unlikely to reach its 5 per cent target by 2020 as the direct action policy stands.

Bidding for the first round of funding to pay for emissions cuts from the $2.55 billion emissions reduction fund were held last week, with the results to be revealed in the coming days.

The questions are part of increased scrutiny over climate change commitments. Each developed country under goes multilateral questioning, with the expectation this will expand to all countries after the Paris summit.

Compared with most developed nations, the questions directed at Australia are notably and repeatedly forceful in challenging its emissions targets and the credibility of its domestic policy. Australia now emits more than every European country except Germany.

Australia is expected to submit written answers before its performance is assessed at a UN climate meeting in Germany in June.

Howard Bamsey​, a former Australian special envoy on climate change and now an adjunct professor at the Australian National University, said the tough questions were a sign of international perceptions about Australia's domestic political battle over climate policy and what he described as a "diplomatic slow start" by the government at recent climate talks.

He said Australia could go a long way to improving its recent standing in climate negotiations, without having to change policy, by ensuring ministers attended key meetings.

But he said the questions were also a chance for the government to better explain how its domestic policies could achieve the kind of results expected of Australia.

Mr Bamsey said it would be "highly desirable" that either Foreign Minister Julie Bishop or Environment Minister Greg Hunt to attend the forum meeting in Washington.

"There will be a well-balanced delegation, but it would be better if there was a minister, no question. It is a ministerial forum," he said.

A spokeswoman for Ms Bishop said Australia was being represented by a senior official at the major economies forum, which was an appropriate level. She did not respond to questions about the queries from countries through the UN.

The international scrutiny comes as the government is increasingly facing claims at home that it is not serious about climate change. A white paper on energy policy released earlier this month was heavily criticised by groups including the Energy Supply Association of Australia, representing power station owners, for almost completely ignoring the issue.

China, now the world's biggest emitter and with per capita emissions that have surpassed those in Europe, has also faced criticism that it is not doing enough to reduce its emissions while demanding more of others, and has been challenged over whether it should still be considered a developing economy.

Its commitment, announced last year, is to stop its emissions rising by 2030 at the latest, though it is yet to quantify this.

Mr Jackson said analysts have found that China's actions to date were likely to deliver the biggest policy-driven cut in emissions ever seen.

It is the world's biggest investor in renewable energy, and has announced policies to build a clean energy system the size of the entire US electricity network in 15 years.

"China can do more, but is doing far more than Australia by a country mile at the moment," he said.

"China is introducing carbon pricing while the Australian government tearing up legislation. China is increasing renewable energy targets while the Australian government is reducing it."

Follow Adam Morton on Twitter. Or email him: amorton@fairfaxmedia.com.au

​Follow Tom Arup on Twitter. Or email him: tarup@fairfaxmedia.com.au

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