ENERGY EMISSIONS UP

The Australian Government knows that it has to be seen to be acting on emissions. As a result, it claims that the country has reduced emissions by 20 per cent from 2005 levels. However, this doesn’t reflect enlightened energy policy. The Australia Institute’s August 2021 report, Back of the Pack, revealed that most of the reduction is the result of changes to farming, most notably a drop in farmers clearing their own land. Emissions from land clearing in Australia fell by 114 Mt CO2-e since 2005 but emissions from energy generation actually rose by 18 Mt CO2-e over the same period.