UN Paris Agreement Architect Blasts Australia’s “Lack of Integrity” on Climate Action

Paris Agreement Architect Christiana Figueres. By International Maritime Organization – https://www.flickr.com/photos/imo-un/39536174340/, CC BY 2.0, Link

Guest essay by Eric Worrall

According to former UN climate chief and Paris Agreement architect Christiana Figueres, coal exporting Australia is not acting with integrity when it comes to global efforts to reduce CO2 emissions.

Christiana Figueres blasts Australia’s “suicidal” position on climate change

by Tarla Lambert

Christiana Figueres who was executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change from 2010 to 2016, has slammed Australia’s “suicidal” position on climate action saying it conveys “a lack of integrity”.

“The climate wars that have been going on in Australia for over a decade now are just – honestly they are such a suicidal situation because Australia… holds such promise with renewable energy,” she said during a recorded session for the Australasian Emissions Reductions Summit, which began online today.

Now the director of the global climate movement Mission 2020, Figueres said she had never shied from speaking about her frustration with Australia’s haphazard stance to a pressing emergency.

“I’ve been pretty vocal about my frustration for so many years of a completely unstable, volatile, unpredictable stand and position on climate change in Australia.”

“There is no other country that has as much sun potential as Australia,” she added.

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Rather than extend itself on Paris Agreement commitments, Morrison has instead suggested that Australia’s overachievements on Kyoto Protocol targets could be used as credits– a position Figueres simply branded “cheating” .

“It is just a total lack of integrity and not something that does Australia proud,” she said.

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Read more: https://womensagenda.com.au/climate/christiana-figueres-blasts-australias-suicidal-position-on-climate-change/

I agree with Figures about Australia having a two faced position on Climate Change.

The Australian government could end coal exports overnight with a single act of parliament. But instead of coming clean about wanting an important carbon intensive industry to continue and grow, or supporting the climate skepticism of President Trump on the international stage, Australian politicians maintain a transparent fiction that they care about climate change, both at home and abroad.

Figures’ comment that Australia has lots of “sun potential” is just plain wrong.

What is missing from Australia is copious quantities of clean fresh water to wash the solar panels or collectors.

The dust which accumulates in Australia has to be seen to be believed. In the dry inland the dust sticks to everything, thanks to static electric charges which accumulate when the dust is blown by the wind. Covering even a sizeable fraction of Australia’s deserts with solar systems would require cleaning water on a scale which we simply don’t have.