Submission to Garnaut Climate Change Review

The Garnaut Climate Change Review was commissioned by Australia's State and Territory Governments on 30 April 2007. The Prime Minister of Australia has confirmed the participation of the Commonwealth Government in the Review. The Review will examine the impacts of climate change on the Australian economy, and recommend medium to long-term policies and policy frameworks to improve the prospects for sustainable prosperity. Submissions are due by 11 April 2008 on the following two issues papers:

Issues Paper 3 - Climate Change: What is the science telling us? Is there a need for new emissions scenarios?
Issues Paper 4: Research and Development: Low Emissions Energy Technologies

You can use this email form to send in your submission to contactus@garnautreview.org.au, or send an email direct to that address. Notes:

Most of the information in this email form was derived from the Climate Code Red report.
Copies of your email are not saved or recorded. Use the CC field if you wish to send a copy to yourself
Remember to include your name and address at the bottom of the email.

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Recent science strong indicates that there is an urgent need for new emission reduction scenarios. Climate change impacts are happening at lower temperature increases and more quickly than projected.

The Arctic floating sea-ice is headed towards rapid summer disintegration as early as 2013, a century ahead of the IPCC projections, at an increase of less than 1ºC in global average temperature.  This rapid loss of Arctic sea-ice will speed up the disintegration of the Greenland ice sheet, and a rise in sea levels by even as much as 5 metres this century is possible.

Recent satellite data has showed that sea levels have risen by an average of 3.3 mm per year between 1993 and 2006, which is 1.3mm more that the 2 mm per year worst case estimate in the 2001 IPCC report.  The Antarctic ice shelf is reacting far more sensitively to warming temperatures than previously believed.

Global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are now growing more rapidly than “business as usual”, the most pessimistic of the IPCC scenarios. Global average temperatures are now within 1°C of the maximum temperature of the past million years.

A rise of 2°C will initiate climate feedbacks on Earth and in the oceans, on ice-sheets and on the tundra, taking the Earth past significant tipping points.

The current 60% emission reduction by 2050 target are linked to a 3ºC global temperature increase limit, which is no longer acceptable.  It is now evident that today’s atmospheric CO2 of around 383 ppm is likely to already be in the dangerous range.

The world is already 0.3 ºC warmer than our recommended temperature cap and we are 50 ppm CO2e over the maximum greenhouse gas cap. To return to the safe zone we need to bring both the temperature and the greenhouse gas levels down.

As Australian emissions are five times the global average, 2°C limit scenarios require Australian per capita emissions to be cut by around 95% by 2050.

An interim target of at least 50% emission reductions by 2020 is required.

A maximum of 1.5°C global temperature increase should be set as the absolute upper limit to guiding policy, legislation and actions.

Australian carbon emissions must peak by the year 2015 then decline.

The highest priority and funding should be given to research and development on zero emission technologies such as solar, wind and geothermal rather than current high expenditure on coal-related technologies.

Significant reductions in carbon emissions (up to 30% of current levels) are achievable through energy efficiency savings.

A high carbon tax would provide and immediate market signal to drive the uptake of near zero or zero emission energy.  Carbon rationing could be introduced to mitigate the economic impact of a carbon tax on low-income households.

Yours faithfully,

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