Transcript March 27

Australia and climate change
March 26, 2014
Overview



Global climate change and the UN
Framework Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCCC) regime
Australia and climate change:
environmental and economic concerns
Australian governments and UNFCCC
Why this case?





Foreign policy from a middle power
perspective
Challenges around international
agreements/cooperation
Ethical considerations in FP
Impact of domestic and external factors
on FP
Role of identity & ideology in FP
– Being a “good international citizen”
Global climate change and the
UNFCCC regime
We know there is a problem:
 97% of climate scientists indicated that they
believed that climate change is related to
human activity (Anderegg et al 2010)
But….
 Challenge of predicting specific impacts
 Building & maintaining collective action
against climate change has been difficult
 Inconsistent political will to act
Ethical dilemmas

Historical vs contemporary emissions
– West didn’t know impact of emissions

Per capita vs volume of emissions
– Australia & Canada vs India & China

Differentiated vulnerabilities
– Some much more vulnerable than others

Luxury vs survival emissions
– Rich vs poorer countries

Future generations and other living being
The UNFCC



1991, an intergovernmental committee of
state representatives was established to
move towards an international agreement on
climate change and emissions reductions.
The UN Framework Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCCC) was agreed in 1992.
Kyoto Protocol was successfully negotiated
in 1997.
Australia & climate change
Dilemmas how to go about climate
change are associated with:
 Australia’s foreign policy tradition
– The “good international citizen”

Economic interests associated with
fossil fuel export and use
– World’s largest coal exporter


Politics of domestic support and
opposition
Vulnerabilities to climate change
Australian governments & UNFCC





Hawke government (1983-1992)
Keating government (1992-1996)
Howard government (1996-2007)
Rudd government (2007-2010)
Governments post-2010
Hawke Administration (Labour)


In 1990, the Hawke government
adopted an interim planning target for
the reduction, by 2005, of greenhouse
gas emissions by 20% from 1988
levels.
The position of Australia was seen as a
strong and committed international
voice.
Keating Administration (Labour)
Keating was seen by many as a
backwards step on environmental
issues:
 It called on industry to reduce
emissions ‘wherever economically
efficient’
 1995, it began to side with the USA in
calling for differentiated emissions
targets for developed states.
Howard Administration (Liberal)



The Howard government denigrated
the notion of ‘good international
citizenship’
At the COP 2 in Geneva in 1996,
government representatives
challenged the notion of IPCC findings.
At Kyoto, Howard, argues that it was
‘not in Australia’s interests’ to ratify the
Kyoto protocol.
Rudd Administration (Labour)


Prime Minister Rudd ratified the Kyoto
Protocol as a first order of government
business and announced a draft of
domestic policy initiatives on climate
change.
However, failed to pass Carbon
Pollution Reduction Scheme legislation
and his public support eroded in 2010.
Governments post-2010


Gillard (Labour) minority government
passes a wide-reaching carbon tax in
the face of significant public opposition
but with support in the Senate.
Abbott (Liberal/National Coalition)
working to repeal carbon tax
– Repeal voted down in March 2014
Conclusion




See important influence of domestic
and external factors in developing FP
Governments often need to balance
competing priorities in FP
Image and reputation can have a
strong influence on FP decisions
Middle powers struggle to balance
specific interest with broader interests
in multilateralism