Australian Academy of Science Publishes Australia's Low Emission Energy Future. (April 28, 2010)

With Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's announcement that the introduction of the government's Emissions Trading Scheme is to be delayed until 2013 and perhaps beyond it seems appropriate to refer to the Australian Academy of Science's detailed assessment of Australia's low emission energy future.

As Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg Director of the Global Change Institute at the University of Queensland notes: "I think it's very clear: This delay comes at a time when the Australian Academy and our nation's best scientists are telling us that urgent action is needed today not tomorrow. Over 95% of the world's most credible scientists are telling us that we are fast approaching the point in which Australia's future, and that of the rest of the world, will be in extreme jeopardy."

The Academy states the position in the following opening:

Like many countries, Australia is facing a dilemma in meeting its commitment to control greenhouse gas emissions beyond the Kyoto protocol. The Australian population is expected to swell from the present figure of 21 million to around 35 million by 2056, and demand for energy is surging with it. So, with a growing demand for energy, how are we going to achieve the goal of a low emission, cost-effective energy future?

Well, there are four main strategies Australia could adopt, which involve:

• continuing to use fossil fuels, while developing the use of low emission fossil fuel technologies;

• encouraging the use of low-emission renewable sources of energy such as solar, wind and geothermal power;

• improving the energy efficiency of Australian households and businesses and managing energy demand and;

• placing a price on carbon through an emissions trading scheme (ETS)

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The Academy summarises its assessment: "With a growing demand for energy, there is no simple way of achieving Australia's goal of reducing carbon pollution by up to 25 per cent of 2000 levels by 2020. Like other countries, we are likely to continue using coal for energy, to some degree, into the future. The development of low emission fossil fuel technologies, increasing the use of gas and alternative energy sources, and adopting more energy efficiency measures, are all expected to play an important role in reducing Australia’s emissions from energy."

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