“Even in the highly unlikely event that Australia would ever reach net zero carbon emissions, this would be cancelled out every fortnight by China. This again proves that Australia’s net zero policy is reckless and utterly futile,” said Cian Hussey, Research Fellow at the Institute of Public Affairs.
New IPA research shows that every 12 days China emits more carbon than Australia does in an entire year. The research also found;
- Australia’s carbon emissions per capita have decreased by 24.3 per cent since 2004, while China’s have increased by 109 per cent.
- China is responsible for 73 per cent of the increase in global carbon emissions since 2004, while Australia has not contributed to this increase, and Australia’s emissions have declined over this period.
- Australia’s share of global carbon emissions declined from 1.3 per cent in 2004 to 1 per cent in 2023.
- For every tonne of emissions Australia has cut, China has increased its emissions by almost 36,000 tonnes.
- For each coal-fired power station currently operating in Australia, China operates 66. This is up from 57 in 2021.
- Further, China is currently constructing 177 coal-fired power stations, with a further 226 in the pre-construction phase, while Australia has none in the construction or pre-construction phase.
“Maintaining net zero requires turning a blind eye to the significant economic, social, and humanitarian costs it is causing. As the Productivity Commission recently acknowledged, Australia is pursuing this policy even though our emissions do not have any impact on the global climate,” Mr Hussey said.
“Even in the highly unlikely event that Australia would ever reach net zero carbon emissions, this would be cancelled out every fortnight by China. This again proves that Australia’s net zero policy is reckless and utterly futile,” said Cian Hussey, Research Fellow at the Institute of Public Affairs.
New IPA research shows that every 12 days China emits more carbon than Australia does in an entire year. The research also found;
- Australia’s carbon emissions per capita have decreased by 24.3 per cent since 2004, while China’s have increased by 109 per cent.
- China is responsible for 73 per cent of the increase in global carbon emissions since 2004, while Australia has not contributed to this increase, and Australia’s emissions have declined over this period.
- Australia’s share of global carbon emissions declined from 1.3 per cent in 2004 to 1 per cent in 2023.
- For every tonne of emissions Australia has cut, China has increased its emissions by almost 36,000 tonnes.
- For each coal-fired power station currently operating in Australia, China operates 66. This is up from 57 in 2021.
- Further, China is currently constructing 177 coal-fired power stations, with a further 226 in the pre-construction phase, while Australia has none in the construction or pre-construction phase.
“Maintaining net zero requires turning a blind eye to the significant economic, social, and humanitarian costs it is causing. As the Productivity Commission recently acknowledged, Australia is pursuing this policy even though our emissions do not have any impact on the global climate,” Mr Hussey said.
To download the IPA’s research click here.
