Australia’s disproportionate pollution of oceans with carbon dioxide (CO2)

Australia is a world leader in annual per capita greenhouse gas (GHG) pollution, coal exports and liquid natural gas (LNG) gas exports. However the Australian Labor Government and the Coalition Opposition have the same climate change inaction policy of "5% off 2000 domestic GHG pollution by 2020" coupled with unlimited expansion of Australia’s huge coal and LNG exports.

The Coalition Opposition has a Direct Action plan for achieving "5% off 2000 domestic GHG pollution by 2020". However the pro-coal, pro-gas, Australian Labor Government has proposed a Carbon Tax-ETS scheme which unfortunately will INCREASE both domestic and exported GHG pollution in both 2020 and 2050 relative to that in 2000 i.e. it is a dishonest, spin-driven plan for climate change INACTION (see “Oz Labor’s Carbon Tax-ETS & gas for coal plan means INCREASED GHG pollution”, Bellaciao, 27 August 2011: http://bellaciao.org/en/spip.php?ar... ).

Australia is disproportionately polluting the atmosphere with greenhouse gases (GHGs), mainly carbon (CO2) and methane (CH4). However important consequences of GHG pollution of the atmosphere are thermal (heat) of the oceans (resulting in thermal expansion and sea level rise) and CO2 pollution (resulting in acidification with deleterious effects on organisms with calcium carbonate-based exoskeletons such as coral and crustacea. In addition Australia pollutes the ocean as a result of run-off from land-based mining (notably in Papua New Guinea). However there are now suggestions that Australia with its appalling record of pollution through land-based mining should start mining the sea bed.

On 20 September 2011. The Age On-line National Times section published an article on mining the oceans by its Hobart correspondent Andrew Darby entitled “Is the ocean the next frontier for mining?” Mining the Ocean: http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/co... . Key quotes: “much potential seafloor mining territory lies within such national marine jurisdictions - either 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zones, or the continental shelves extending beyond the EEZ’s. But outside these limits the high seas are regarded as the common heritage of mankind, and control is the job of the UN’s International Seabed Authority (ISA). It governs the release of big exploration blocks, for which demand is surprisingly strong. For example, China last month won the right to explore for mineral-rich polymetallic sulphides in a 10,000 square km block of the Southwest Indian Ocean ridge. Russia likewise is pegging out an exploratory claim in the mid-Atlantic. The ISA regulates this, allocating large swathes of specially reserved high seas areas on long leases to national agencies, often acting for commercial interests… At the ISA’s last meeting, Nauru Ocean Resources, a government-owned company, successfully applied for a 74,830 km block of Pacific high seas in a 15 year contract for prospecting and exploration. It was the second attempt at completing the deal. Success was ensured when the ISA was satisfied all profits would go to Nauruan educational and environmental foundations. So where does Australia stand on this new frontier? We claim to control 13.6 million square km of ocean, among the largest national marine territories on the planet. Clearly we are also one of the great miners. The Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism said Australia would "continue to follow with interest" international developments in commercial deep sea mining, including involvement in the ISA. But there are no offshore minerals exploration titles in Australia.”

The Age newspaper, which frequently censors my comments on such articles (see “Censorship by The Age”: https://sites.google.com/site/mains... and http://agecensors.blogspot.com/ ), completely censored my first submitted comments on this article. I tried again with revised comments (see: http://gpolya.newsvine.com/_news/20... ), and this time The Age DID publish my comments which are as follows:

"Science informs that mining whether of the oceans or the land should involve minimal detriment to terrestrial and ocean environment, ecosystems and species survival.

Unfortunately fossil fuel extraction on land and more recently off-shore has resulted in an increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration a current damaging 394 ppm (increasing at 2.4 ppm per year) with warming and acidification of the ocean..

The species extinction rate is now 100-1,000 times greater than normal and the world’s coral started dying when CO2 reached 320 ppm. Coral is being destroyed by increased ocean temperature (causing algal symbiont expulsion and coral bleaching) and increased acidity (preventing calcareous exoskeleton formation).

Australia is making a disproportionate contribution to greenhouse gas (GHG) pollution with damage to the ocean. Australia has an annual per capita domestic plus exported greenhouse gas (GHG) pollution 71 times that of Bangladesh and has ALREADY used up its “fair share” of the terminal global pollution budget of no more than 600 Gt CO2 permitted between 2010 and zero emissions in 2050 to avoid a catastrophic 2C temperature rise according to WBGU (that advises the German Government).

Yet the Australian Labor Government’s Carbon Tax-ETS plan will INCREASE both domestic and exported GHG pollution in both 2020 and 2050 relative to that in 2000 (for details Google "climate change course summary")."

For further details see 2011 Climate Change Course c/- 300.org: http://300org.blogspot.com/2011_08_... .

What should the World do in the face of Australia’s commitment to expanded GHG pollution and egregious pollution of the atmosphere and the oceans? The World, through individual countries and the UN, should tell Australia to massively reduce its disproportionately high GHG pollution - and if it won’t then the World should apply sanctions to ensure that it does.