Despite road transport being one of the most significant and growing sources of carbon emissions, the year began with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese promising buckets of public money for new highways in regional Queensland — an election ploy Labor calculates will help it win back support in the recently-turned Coalition state.
While expenditure on road transport is necessary, even urgent in some places, the climate emergency also urgently demands alternatives to road and air transportation for people and goods in a continent as vast as Australia.
This requires a radical shift to rail freight and an expansion and renewal of regional and interstate passenger rail services, including a high-speed network serving population centres in eastern and southern Australia, and very fast intercity trains.
Despite its promises, Labor has squandered the opportunity to set down the structural changes needed to seriously tackle Australia’s high per capita greenhouse gas emissions — of which fossil fuel-guzzling transportation is one of this country’s top contributors.
Government statistics project that transport will become Australia’s largest source of emissions by 2030.
This and Labor’s recently approved coal mine extensions and the new fossil gas reserves being opened up — against the wishes of Traditional Owners — puts paid to its claims to be acting in line with the best science.
For Labor, bribes to ease the burden of the rising cost-of-living are higher priorities than urgently tackling climate change. This follows a period where global average surface air temperatures exceeded 1.5ºC above pre-industrial levels for 16 out of 17 months.
Chris Bowen, Labor’s minister in charge, claims it will not only reach, but surpass, its target of reducing GHG emissions to 43% below 2005 levels by 2030.
But Labor’s plan to meet this inadequate target will rely on shonky calculations.
While Labor has undertaken some token initiatives, most of the reduction in carbon emissions cannot be attributed to its policies.
It has relied on those with the means to make the switch to solar and has asked energy corporations to “pledge” support for net zero by 2030 — all the while continuing to hand out large public subsidies as they continue to pollute.
If Labor had committed to fund and expedite the structural changes needed for urgent climate action and mitigation, Peter Dutton’s nuclear power scheme would have already been laughed off as harebrained and impossible.
Instead, in the absence of a plan to ease people’s enormous power bills and save the environment, Dutton grabbed attention for his plan to build seven publicly funded nuclear plants.
Dutton’s nuclear plan is a ruse to carry on with coal and gas, but it’s fooling some people. The Sydney Morning Herald reported in June, before the sites were announced, that 41% backed the plan, while 37% didn’t and 22% were undecided.
Labor’s argument against nuclear power plants has focused on cost and the time needed to build them. It is conspicuously avoiding spelling out the inherent dangers and unresolved problems of nuclear waste disposal, because that would cut across its expensive and dangerous AUKUS nuclear-powered submarines plan.
Again, this demonstrates Labor’s weaknesses and dishonesty. Dutton’s bone to fossil fuel corporations could have been an opportunity for Labor to outline a clear plan for a safe climate here and how Australia could help its neighbours decarbonise and adapt to the ravages of increasingly dangerous climate systems.
Labor wants to seal the deal with Pacific Island nations to be in the running to host COP31 in 2026. Adelaide wants to be the host city, and is championing its credentials, claiming it will be 100% powered by renewables by 2027.
Meanwhile, Tanya Plibersek is pondering whether to agree to Woodside’s North West Shelf gas expansion project after WA Labor agreed to it on December 13.
The gas extension will not only threaten First Nations cultural heritage, the climate and marine environment will also come under greater pressure. According to the Greens, the billions of tonnes of toxic gas — which will be burned until 2070 — is equivalent to 24 new coal-fired power stations.
Plibersek has not only approved 28 new coal and gas projects, she has failed to persuade her colleagues to agree to her signature policy to amend the outdated federal environment act.
The optics on climate look very bad for Labor. How will it win another election when it was handed a mandate in 2022 to fix the mess the coal and gas-mad PM Scott Morrison made?
Net zero by 2030 is too little too late for anyone concerned about future generations being able to survive in a dramatically less liveable environment.
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