Looking Back—Australia’s Sustainable Development and Climate Change Policy Agendas

Abstract

In November 2022, a climate change performance index report released at the COP27 United Nations conference in Egypt, ranked Australia 55th on a list of 63 countries and country groupings in addressing the climate crisis. Australia is a leading development partner in the Pacific region; a region economically, environmentally, socially, and culturally impacted by climate change and global warming in the form of (e.g.,) rapid sea level rises, alarming shifts in marine ecosystems, and extreme weather events. How did Australia, a high-income country situated in the Pacific, become a nation that trails other developed countries in addressing climate change? Why has there been a lack of urgency for uptake of sustainable development policy and planning? A new Federal Government, elected in May 2022, has indicated willingness to meaningfully progress Australia’s interconnected climate change, wellbeing, and sustainability policy agendas, in which futures public health policy is inextricably linked. This change in government provides an important moment to review Australia’s sustainable-development climate change policy landscape over a 35-year period. By examining this landscape through a health lens, this paper can provide one of many critical perspectives tracing Australia’s slippage to the bottom of the global climate rankings today.

Towards a Bioeconomy: Supplying Forest Residues for the Australian Market

“…An evaluation of policy-related barriers to the development of the Australian market is required. Given Australia's history of fossil fuel dependency and inaction on renewable energy and climate-related targets [2,6,7], it is critical for market development that there is a clear understanding of both the policy settings that are favourable for investment as well as those that act as barriers in Australia. Comparisons with more developed markets in other parts of the world, particularly in the EU and North America, will provide insights into the Australian context.…”

“…In recent years, national and state Australian governments have recognized the risks of climate change inaction and the opportunities for investing in renewable energy [2]. After decades of climate and emissions policy uncertainty [5] and politicized debate at the national level [6,7], the current Federal Australian Government legislated an emissions reduction target of 43% below 2005 levels by 2030 in 2022 [8]. State governments have set their own emission reduction targets and made commitments to renewable energy, including 50% renewable energy targets by 2030…”