Emission Trading Schemes in Australia and New Zealand will have almost zero impact on global CO2 emissions. So why are both countries charging into enacting legislation that will harm our economies and decrease our standard of living?
In what can only be described as an act of madness New Zealand politicians passed Emissions Trading legislation last week to become the 28th Nation in the world to do so.
The other 27 nations are the member states of the European Union.
New Zealand out of 207 nations is ranked 69th in global CO2 emissions and accounts for just 0.1% of global emissions.
New Zealand is the first nation outside of the European Union to enact an emissions scheme, Australia will be the second.
Australia is ranked 19th on the world scale of emitters with 1.2% of global emissions.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd tells Australians that we have to lead the world in cutting greenhouse gas emissions. Professor Ross Garnaut has said that we can’t make deep cuts unless the major emitters also follow suit.
The top 20 emitting nations account for 79% of global emissions. Of those 5 EU nations, Germany 3.1%, United Kingdom 2.2%, Italy 1.7%, France 1.4% & Spain 1.2% are in the top 20 global emitters with a total of 9.6%. The other 22 Nations that make up the European Union emit 5.1%. Total EU emissions are 14.7%.
That leaves 15 nations including Australia accounting for 69.4% of global emissions.
If you take off Australia’s 1.2% that leaves 14 Nations contributing 68.2% of emissions, while the remaining 187 nations contributing just 21% between them.
Map of Global CO2 Emissions by Country.
Key to Map in Metric Tons.
For example The USA and China emit over 5,000,000 each in metric tons a year.
Australia emits just over 300,000 tons a year.
New Zealand emits less than 10% of Australia’s emissions at just over 30,000 tons a year.
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One would imagine that it will be these 14 nations that the Australia & New Zealand governments hope to convince / influence into adopting a legislated emissions trading Scheme:
USA, China, Russia, India, Japan, Canada, South Korea, Mexico, South Africa, Iran, Indonesia, Brazil, Ukraine, & Saudi Arabia.
Don’t hold your breath waiting for world super powers USA, China and Russia agreeing any time soon on an agreement on anything, let alone introducing a scheme that will harm their economies.
It is just incredibly naive or stupid of prime ministers Kevin Rudd and Helen Clark to believe they have much if any influence on any of the 14 major emitting nations.
If Australia and New Zealand were to cut their emissions 10% by 2020 we would have reduced global emissions by 0.13% whilst stifling our economies and lessening our standard of living to achieve it.
Harming our economies as ‘first movers’ will be judged by history as incredible acts of stupidity.
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Tags: CO2, Emission Trading Scheme, EU, Helen Clark, Kevin Rudd, NETS, New Zealand, Ross Garnaut
