Monday, September 14, 2009

Places of work and home amongst most energy inefficient in the developed world

Australia is behind Mexico and Argentina in terms of its ability to meet greenhouse gas emissions targets, a report says.

The Climate Institute and European think-tank E3G released the report in the lead-up to next week's G20 meeting in the US.

Australia ranked 15th in an analysis of its capacity to generate business in a low-carbon economy, the lowest position of any industrialised country.

The report also found Australia was in the bottom of the pack when it came to its share of meeting the global greenhouse gas target of 450 parts per million by 2020.

Australia came 16th, with only Turkey, Russia and Saudi Arabia requiring a bigger turnaround to get back on track.

Climate Institute spokesman John Connor says the ranking is not surprising, considering Australia is a fossil fuel, carbon intensive economy.

"We need to improve that rate of productivity. The renewable energy target which has just been passed is very important, and that is 20 per cent of our energy by 2020. Of course we have got to get on with the rest of the 80 per cent," he said.

"We have got to get on across the industrial sector, our places of work and home are amongst the most energy inefficient in the developed world.

Source: ABC/AAP
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/14/2684578.htm