Australia admits CO2 emissions will balloon  

The SMH reports that Australia's carbon emission profile (and economy) remain dependent on the coal and gas industries - Australia admits CO2 emissions will balloon.

AUSTRALIA'S climate change policies will lead greenhouse gas emissions to balloon out of control in the next few years, the federal government says in an annual report to the United Nations.

Instead of the 5 to 25 per cent cut being offered by the government, the nation would pump out 24 per cent more carbon dioxide by 2020, the Climate Change Minister, Greg Combet, said, using the data to make the case again for a price on carbon. ...

Mr Combet said the national emissions data, to be published today, show that Australia needs to cut at least 160 million tonnes of greenhouse gases from its ledger on an annual basis before 2020 to make even its minimum 5 per cent target. "Clearly more needs to be done, and that's why we need a carbon price soon,'' he said in a statement. "While there is a warning in this report, it is important to remember that it is not too late for us to act.''

The government's projections take into account the renewable energy target, which aims to generate one fifth of electricity from non-fossil sources by 2020, and some energy efficiency measures, but no future emissions trading scheme.

"At some point the government will have to confront the reality that its energy policy and climate policy are on a collision course, with ever-growing investment in coal, gas and coal-seam gas undermining any moves to turn our economy around,'' the Greens senator Christine Milne said.