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https://theconversation.com/australias-refusal-to-sign-a-global-methane-pledge-exposes-flaws-in-the-term-net-zero-170944>
"At the United Nations climate summit in Glasgow, more than 90 nations signed a
global pledge led by the United States and United Kingdom to cut methane
emissions. However, Australia was not among them.
China, Russia, India and Iran also declined to sign the pledge, which aims to
slash methane emissions by 30% before 2030.
Methane is emitted in coal and gas production, from livestock and other
agricultural activity, and when organic waste breaks down in landfill.
Almost half of Australia’s annual methane emissions come from the agriculture
sector. Defending the federal government’s decision, Energy and Emissions
Reduction Minister Angus Taylor said Australia had pledged net-zero greenhouse
gas emissions by 2050 and would not set specific targets for each sector.
Days out from COP26, National Party leader Barnaby Joyce had claimed signing
the pledge would be a disaster for coal mining and agriculture, saying “the
only way you can get your 30% by 2030 reduction in methane on 2020 levels would
be to grab a rifle and go out and start shooting your cattle”.
Australia’s position on the pledge is inconsistent with methane reductions the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says are required to keep
Earth below 1.5℃ warming this century.
The debate also highlights how the shorthand phrase “net-zero emissions”
conceals and distorts the real challenges in avoiding dangerous climate change.
It focuses attention on the wrong time frame for action – the next decade is
far more important for climate action than 2050. It also addresses the means of
action – emissions reduction – rather than the desired goal, which is to avoid
dangerous climate change.
And importantly, simply through delaying action, the world could feasibly
reduce emissions to net-zero by 2050, but still fail to meet the goals of the
Paris Agreement – keeping average global temperature rise below either 1.5℃ or
2℃ this century."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
