King Coal rules APEC

The APEC forum wrapped up with 21 world leaders signing the Sydney Declaration on climate change. More like the Sydney Distraction on climate change. And it is a distraction moving us in the wrong direction on climate change.

Our analysis of the Sydney Declaration

The Sydney Declaration's non-binding, "aspirational" goal of reducing energy intensity by at least 25% by 2030 is simply business as usual. It’s no solution to climate change. To halt climate change, countries must firmly commit to deep cuts on CO2 emissions.

"They have professed concern about climate change while agreeing to no real action to move forward. If this is the platform for future climate action then the world is in trouble."

Greenpeace energy campaigner, Catherine Fitzpatrick on APEC’s Sydney Declaration

Says Greenpeace energy campaigner, Catherine Fitzpatrick, "In most APEC countries energy intensity would improve by this amount by 2030 anyway but overall emissions would continue to rise."

And it's not a "diplomatic breakthrough" with China, as Alexander Downer has called it. China is already committed to the Kyoto Protocol and has a 16% renewable energy target. By contrast, Australia didn’t sign Kyoto and has a ridiculously small 2% renewables target.

The week also saw a new coal mine approved in New South Wales. Moolarben coal mine is a climate disaster that will emit millions of tonnes of grennhouse pollution. On the same weekend, US government scientists forecast that two-thirds of the world's polar bears will die by 2050 because of thinning sea ice from global warming in the Arctic. That’s the climate science they didn’t talk about at APEC.

Meaningful progress will have to wait until December’s Kyoto negotiations in Bali. Says Catherine Fitzpatrick, ““Bali is where the world will set the agenda for a strong mandate on climate change, setting in place agreements on binding targets and timetables to cut greenhouse gas emissions.”