We only have a few days to win our Prime Minister’s support for three vital global agreements to slash climate pollution at COP27.
Send the Prime Minister an email now and ask him to support:
If enough countries commit to supporting the agreements, it will help keep a global temperature rise of 1.5°C in reach and protect communities and wildlife from the worst climate impacts.
On the world stage at COP27, let's urge Australia to step up its climate ambition and shed the label of climate laggard. Let's urge our Prime Minister to join with other countries and commit to these critical global commitments to slash pollution.
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122 countries have signed the global pledge to reduce global methane emissions by at least 30 per cent from 2020 levels by 2030, but Australia hasn’t. Methane is a greenhouse gas that powerfully heats our climate over its 12-year lifetime in the atmosphere.
The latest science warns that over the short term a tonne of methane warms the planet almost 100 times more than a tonne of CO2. To date, methane emissions are responsible for around 30% of global warming.¹ The United Nations says cutting methane pollution is the best way to slow climate change over the next 25 years.²
Right now Australia’s methane emissions from coal and gas are skyrocketing. The International Energy Agency estimates that our methane emissions are almost double what our national reporting suggests.
It is often the countries and communities that are least responsible for causing climate damage that are on the frontlines of climate impacts, including our neighbours in the Pacific and Southeast Asia.
In addition to curbing climate pollution, developed countries like Australia have agreed to give finance to help lower-income countries adapt to climate impacts and reduce emissions. Research by Oxfam and ActionAid shows that Australia’s current climate finance commitment falls well below our fair share of $4 billion annually.³ At COP15 in Copenhagen, Australia joined other countries in making a collective pledge of USD $100 billion in climate finance.
The Albanese Government should amend this at COP27 and become an international leader in effective and equitable global climate solutions. The first step is boosting our climate finance to a minimum of $3 billion for 2020-2025.
39 countries have signed the breakthrough agreement to stop financing overseas fossil fuel projects, and instead, shift their investment to renewable energy. In addition to Japan’s commitment at this year’s G7 Summit, the signatories have the combined potential to shift USD $39 billion a year of government finance from fossil fuels to clean energy.⁴
Between 2010 and 2020, Australian fossil fuel projects received $36.3 billion from international public finance. In comparison, renewable projects received just $3.3 billion.⁵
We need Australia to lead by example and join the effort to turn off the international fossil fuel finance tap. Growing the list of signatories, including Australia, will help ramp up the global investment needed to transition to renewables and slash pollution.
¹ 'Joint statement on Australia's methane emissions'
² United Nations: 'New global methane pledge aims to tackle climate damage'
³ ActionAid: 'Australia funding only one-tenth of its global fair share on climate'
⁴ OilChange International: 'Explainer: What the COP26 and G7 promises to stop funding fossils in 2022 mean for climate and communities'
⁵ Jubilee Australia: 'Fossil fuel pushers'
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