Australian Government - Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Advancing the interests of Australia and Australians internationally

Australian Government - Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Advancing the interests of Australia and Australians internationally

Climate Change

Australia a founding member of the Asia Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate

Australia, China, India, Japan, Republic of Korea and United States have founded a new partnership to address energy security, climate change and air pollution issues. Partners released a Vision Statement. Australia will host the inaugural Ministerial Meeting of the Partnership later this year.

Australia's Position

Australia recognises the necessity of lowering global greenhouse emissions and that achieving this will require substantive action over the long term.  Australia has allocated $1.8 billion as part of a comprehensive domestic action programme, managed by the Australian Greenhouse Office, to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.  Australia remains firmly committed to limiting greenhouse gas emissions to 108 per cent of 1990 levels by 2008-12.  Australia is on track to meet this target.

Like all smaller emitters, Australia's efforts cannot make a significant difference alone.  Reducing global emissions requires a global effort.  At the international level, Australia will continue to work for more effective global action on climate change involving all major emitters of greenhouse gases and which avoids distortions that might lead to the international transfer of economic activity and emissions with no environmental benefits.

Australia is a party to the United Nation's Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which is the key multilateral vehicle for promoting global cooperation on climate change.  In addition to multilateral efforts, cooperative efforts at the plurilateral, regional and bilateral levels are also making a significant contribution to the overall climate change challenge.

Given that the top dozen emitters are responsible for roughly 80 per cent of global emissions, Australia believes that it is important to have all major emitters actively engaged.

Multilateral Climate Change Cooperation

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

The UNFCCC (pdf) arose from increasing international concern about the implications of climate change and a recognition that no one country could solve this global environmental problem alone.  Australia signed the UNFCCC in June 1992 and ratified it in December 1992.

The ultimate objective of the UNFCCC is to achieve stabilisation of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous human-induced interference with the climate system.  Such levels, which the Convention does not quantify, should be achieved within a time frame sufficient to allow ecosystems to adapt naturally to climate change, to ensure that food production is not threatened and to enable economic development to proceed in a sustainable manner.  To achieve this objective, all Parties to the Convention are subject to an important set of general commitments which place a fundamental obligation on both industrialised and developing countries to respond to climate change.

The Convention is supported by a secretariat located in Bonn, Germany.  They maintain a comprehensive website with listings of all official documents, data on emissions, details about upcoming meetings, and other useful information.

Kyoto Protocol

The Kyoto Protocol (pdf) negotiated under the UNFCCC is an international attempt to address climate change by limiting global greenhouse gas emissions.  The Protocol entered into force on 16 February 2005.

Australia is not a party to the Kyoto Protocol as it does not provide an effective global framework for meeting long-term objectives. It does not include all major emitters and thus fails to address the issue of economic activity and emissions moving from emissions-restricted countries to unrestricted countries, with no overall greenhouse benefit. Despite the Kyoto Protocol’s entry into force, global emissions will be some 40 per cent higher in 2010 than in 1990.

The Australian Government believes that it is now time to look beyond Kyoto and concentrate on identifying truly effective options to help address climate change. Effective action will require the active engagement of all major emitters and engage industry in a way that allows it to invest in the future. Technology improvements will be a key to delivering large-scale reductions in emissions in a way that protects and promotes Australia's long-term economic prosperity.

Bilateral and Regional Cooperation on Climate Change

Cooperative efforts at the plurilateral, bilateral and regional levels are also making a significant contribution to the overall climate change challenge.  Australia actively engages in plurilateral initiatives focussed on the development, transfer and uptake of key climate and energy technologies, including the Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum (CSLF), the Methane to Markets Partnership (M2M), the International Partnership for the Hydrogen Economy (IPHE) and the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Programme (REEEP).

Australia has concluded a number of climate action partnerships and similar arrangements which are focussed on developing practical joint activities to address climate change.  Formal arrangements have been concluded with the United States, China, Japan, the European Union and New Zealand.

Australia places a very high priority on cooperative action in the Asia-Pacific region in addressing climate change and related issues.  Australia co-hosted the APEC Business and Climate Workshop in April with Korea (May 2005), the Australia-New Zealand Pew Centre Dialogue (April 2005) and the Climate Change and Business Conference and Trade Expo with New Zealand in Auckland (November 2004).

Australia’s climate change efforts in the Pacific region include $9.3 million for stage 3 of the Sea Level and Climate Monitoring Project, the $4 million Vulnerability and Adaptation Initiative, the $2.3 million Climate Prediction Project, and support for PICs to attend relevant international meetings. Australia, New Zealand, the US and PICs are also cooperating on climate monitoring with the aim of establishing an effective Regional Climate Information System for the Pacific.

Australia's contribution to the third replenishment of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) was $68.2 million, an increase of 58 percent.  Since 1991, Australia has committed over $184 million to the GEF.  Almost 40 percent of funds contributed have been allocated to the GEF's climate change activities.  Further climate change-related assistance has been channelled through the Pacific Regional Environment Program (SPREP) and South Pacific Applied Geoscience Commission (SOPAC), $4.2 million and $5.4 million respectively for the period 2003-2005.

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Contact Details

Climate Change Section
Environment Branch
International Organisations and Legal Division
Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade
R.G. Casey Building
John McEwen Crescent
Barton ACT 0221

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R.G. Casey Building
John McEwen Crescent
Barton ACT 0221 Australia

Tel: +61 2 6261 1111
Fax: +61 2 6261 3111

ABN 47 065 634 525

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