Guest essay by Eric Worrall

Australian Prime Minister has upset greens by suggesting Australia has no significant impact on global anthropogenic CO2 emissions, though he accepts there is a link between bushfires and global CO2 emissions.

Scott Morrison says no evidence links Australia’s carbon emissions to bushfires

PM suggests Australia could increase emissions without worsening current fire season, and says government finalising plans to crack down on environmental protests

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At first, Morrison appeared to accept that climate change was affecting the severity and frequency of bushfires.

“These are things that are very well known to the government – the contribution of these issues to global weather conditions and to conditions here in Australia are known and acknowledged,” he said.

“In February I acknowledged the contribution of those factors to what was happening in Australia – amongst many other issues.”

Morrison then said “the suggestion that any way shape or form that Australia, accountable for 1.3% of the world’s emissions, that the individual actions of Australia are impacting directly on specific fire events, whether it’s here or anywhere else in the world, that doesn’t bear up to credible scientific evidence either”.

“Climate change is a global phenomenon and we’re doing our bit as part of the response to climate change – we’re taking action on climate change,” he said.

“But I think to suggest that at just 1.3% of emissions, that Australia doing something more or less would change the fire outcome this season – I don’t think that stands up to any credible scientific evidence at all.”

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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/nov/21/scott-morrison-says-no-evidence-links-australias-carbon-emissions-to-bushfires

The Aussie Prime Minister is right, that even if you accept a link between CO2 and bushfires, Australia’s contribution to global CO2 is so insignificant nothing we do can affect outcomes.