Climate Change and Environment
In recent years, both Australia and China have become increasingly engaged with the issue of climate change on the domestic, bilateral and international level. China accounts for over one quarter of global greenhouse emissions and is the world’s largest single emitter, while Australia is the highest per capita emitter in the developed world and the fifteenth largest absolute emitter. Shifting political environments in both countries have meant that this policy area has seen both close bilateral cooperation and bitter divisions.
Labor leader Kevin Rudd [topic link page] was elected prime minister in November 2007 with a major climate change policy agenda, including proposals for Australia–China climate change cooperation. Rudd had previously declared climate change to be ‘the greatest moral, economic and social challenge of our time’ and ratified the Kyoto Protocol as his first act of office. The inaugural Australia–China Ministerial Dialogue on Climate Change was convened in November 2008, and an annual 1.5-track Australia–China Climate Change Forum was established in April 2009.
Rudd’s signature domestic policy was the planned introduction of a national emissions trading scheme (ETS) — the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS) — which he proclaimed to be one of the ‘most important structural reforms to our economy in a generation’. Rudd faced stiff resistance from industry and the Opposition to the ETS, which he countered with predictions that the rest of the world would follow suit at the December 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. But Copenhagen did not deliver the binding emissions reduction commitments that Rudd had trumpeted, producing only a ‘political accord’ with voluntary targets. The Accord was widely reported as a ‘failure’. Western analysts blamed China (in cahoots with India and the G77 group of small nations) for blocking negotiations and ‘sabotaging’ the conference in order to protect its economic development strategy from external scrutiny and legal challenge. This gave substantial political momentum to Rudd’s ETS opponents and by April 2010 Rudd had ‘retreated’ and delayed further ETS considerations until the 2013 election. It was later revealed that Rudd had called Chinese negotiators ‘fuckers … trying to ratfuck us’.
After Copenhagen, new prime minister Julia Gillard [topic page link] passed the Clean Energy Act in November 2011 that introduced a staggered ETS known as the Carbon Pricing Mechanism (CPM) and promised to reduce Australia’s emissions by five percent of 2000 levels by 2020.
Concerns over energy security and environmental destruction also compelled China to achieve a remarkable improvement in its reputation on climate change. In its twelfth Five Year Plan, covering the years 2011 to 2015, China committed itself to environmentally responsible and low-carbon economic development, prioritised market solutions to climate change, and aimed to reduce emissions intensity to 40–45 percent of 2005 levels by 2020 (a pre-Copenhagen promise) as well as increase the energy share of renewables and nuclear power to fifteen percent by 2020. China’s State Council announced that environmental protection is a ‘pillar industry’ for national development, backed by the state and eligible for generous subsidies and tax breaks to fuel domestic growth.
Since these policy reforms, there has been significant bilateral climate change collaboration. Chinese policy-makers keenly observed the Australian ETS process and Australian experts and bureaucrats worked closely with China in designing its own ETS. China is currently operating seven regional ETS trials ahead of the expected announcement of a national ETS framework in its next five-year plan (2016-2020). Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) has developed new underground carbon storage methods in China and established China’s first post-combustion capture-equipped energy plant. The AusChina Energy Development joint venture plans to develop A$6 billion of wind and solar power plants in Australia before 2020.
Not all developments were positive. Some observers pointed out that coal used for ‘dirty’, or high emission, power generation was Australia’s second most valuable export to China. Coal exports totaled A$9.3 billion in 2013–2014. Critics also argued that international hype over Chinese environmental policies ignored their insignificance when compared with total Chinese energy consumption and massive new coal power investments. Others point out that the structural change in the Chinese economy away from coal-fired power to renewable energy could be damaging for the Australian coal industry, though beneficial to LNG, uranium and clean-tech exporters.
Tony Abbott [topic page link] came to power in September 2013 promising that scrapping the carbon pricing mechanism (CPM) was his ‘top legislative priority’. Chinese officials reacted with disappointment, saying that abolishing the CPM was ‘not good news’ and hoping that the ‘right decision’ would be made to keep the mechanism. When the Abbott government successfully repealed the CPM in July 2014, it annulled the Australia-China carbon trading agreement signed in April 2013, which would have connected the CPM with the Chinese ETS. Many Australian commentators and activists now compare Australian climate change policy and science unfavourably with that of China, especially as in November 2014 China signed a landmark climate change agreement with the US and committed to cap emissions growth and source twenty percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2030. This agreement came days before the Brisbane G20 Summit, where the Abbott government was widely criticised for refusing to put climate change on the official agenda.
The Abbott government is still committed under the Cancun Agreement to reducing Australia’s greenhouse emissions by five percent by 2020 compared to 2000 levels, but it prefers a ‘direct action’ policy approach focused on an Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF) and a Renewable Energy Target. However, China is part of a chorus of major emitters challenging Australian climate policy in the lead up to a major international climate change summit in Paris in December 2015. In December 2014, Chinese climate negotiator Su Wei 苏伟 said ‘it is not good news’ that Australia is refusing to donate to the World Bank’s Green Climate Fund to assist developing countries combat global warming (the Abbott government had dismissed the Fund as ‘socialism masquerading as environmentalism’). In April 2015, China also used the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change to question the ability of the ERF to replace the CPM in meeting Australia’s emissions reduction commitments, and criticised Australia for holding itself to a lower standard than other developed countries.
Links
- Australia-China Climate Change Forum.
- Australia-China Ministerial Dialogue on Climate Change.
- Australia-China Research Program on Market Mechanisms for Climate Change Policy.
- Australian Department of Industry, Energy White Paper.
- Climate Bridge.
- Garnaut Climate Change Review.
- Roxby Media, Australia China Beyond Tomorrow, Sustainable Development.
- The Australian National University, Centre for Climate Economics & Policy, ‘China’s climate change policies’.
March 2007
- AAP, ‘Rudd Unveils Climate Change Blueprint’, The Age, 31 March 2007.
December 2007
- AAP, ‘Australia Ratifies Kyoto Protocol’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 3 December 2007.
November 2008
- China Climate Change Info-Net, ‘Joint Statement of Australia-China Ministerial Dialogue on Climate Change’, 18 November 2008.
December 2008
- ABC, ‘UN Hails ‘Encouraging’ Emissions Scheme’, ABC News, 16 December 2008.
April 2009
- Australian Department of Climate Change, ‘Australia-China Climate Change Forum’, The Australian National University, Canberra, 15 April 2009.
May 2009
- Pan Jiahua, ‘Dispelling Illusions on China and Climate Change’, East Asia Forum, 3 May 2009,
September 2009
- Stephen Howes, ‘Can China Rescue the World Climate Change Negotiations?’, East Asia Forum, 1 September 2009.
December 2009
- Lenore Taylor, ‘Heat on China to Break Impasse at Copenhagen’, The Australian, 14 December 2009.
- Lenore Taylor, ‘Climate Talks Set for Failure as China Dampens Hopes’, The Australian, 18 December 2009.
- Dennis Shanahan, ‘Blunderful Copenhagen Kills ETS Early Poll’, The Australian, 18 December 2009.
- Lenore Taylor and Sid Maher, ‘Copenhagen Hands Kevin Rudd an Emissions Trading Scheme Dilemma’, The Australian, 21 December 2009.
- Editorial, ‘New Approach on Global Warming Needed Now’, The Australian, 21 December 2009.
- ABC, ‘Rudd Should Have Taken ETS to Copenhagen: Garnaut’, ABC News, 21 December 2009.
- Peter Veness, ‘Rudd Standing by Copenhagen Outcome’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 22 December 2009.
- Samantha Maiden and David Nason, ‘Kevin Rudd Faces New Emissions Trading Scheme Demand’, The Australian, 22 December 2009.
- Tom Arup, ‘Come Clean on Targets, Rudd Told’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 23 December 2009.
- Mark Lynas, ‘How do I know China wrecked the Copenhagen deal? I was in the room’, The Guardian, 23 December 2009.
- ABC, ‘Eyewitness: How China Sabotaged Climate Talks’, ABC News, 24 December 2009.
January 2010
- John Garnaut, ‘Don’t Push Us, China Warns Rich Countries’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 11 January 2010.
February 2010
- Phillip Coorey, ‘Climate Policy Backlash Takes Shine off Rudd’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 8 February 2010.
- Lisa Friedman and Gayathri Vaidyanathan, ‘Does the Huge China-Australia Coal Deal Square with the Copenhagen Accord’, The New York Times, 16 February 2010.
- Frank Jotzo, ‘What China Really Delivered at Copenhagen’, East Asia Forum, 17 February 2010.
April 2010
- Paul Kelly, ‘Rudd’s Dangerous Climate Retreat’, The Australian, 28 April 2010.
- Dennis Shanahan, ‘Poor Political Skills Doomed Rudd’s Climate Policy’, The Australian, 30 April 2010.
June 2010
- NewsCore, ‘Alleged ‘Rat-F**k’ Outburst Tarnishes Aussie PM Kevin Rudd’s China-Friendly Image’, News Limited, 7 June 2010.
August 2010
- Erwin Jackson and Will McGoldrick, ‘When Will Australia Catch On to China’s Clean Energy Drive’, Crikey, 19 August 2010.
February 2011
- Frank Jotzo, ‘Climate Change Policy Resurrected in Australia’, East Asia Forum, 4 February 2011.
March 2011
- Australian Department of the Environment, ‘Australia-China Ministerial Dialogue on Climate Change’, 14 March 2011.
April 2011
- Kerrie Sinclair, ‘Chinese Finance $6bn Investment in Renewable Energy in Australia’, The Courier-Mail, 14 April 2011.
- Xinhua, ‘Datang Forms Wind Farm JV in Australia’, China Daily, 21 April 2011.
July 2011
- AFP, ‘Polluted China Plans Carbon Emissions Trading Scheme’, The Australian, 18 July 2011.
September 2011
- Oliver Milman, ‘WikiLeaks Cables Reveal Australian ‘Middle Power Diplomacy’ on Green Issues’, The Guardian, 8 September 2011.
- Bloomberg, ‘CBD Energy Buys Wind Farm’, The Australian, 22 September 2011.
November 2011
- AAP/Reuters, ‘Carbon Tax Gets Green Light in Senate’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 8 November 2011.
December 2011
- Australian Politics, ‘Carbon Tax Legislation Becomes Law’, 9 December 2011.
January 2012
- Sid Maher and Michael Sainsbury, ‘China to Tax Carbon by 2015’, The Australian, 7 January 2012.
April 2012
- Philip Wen and Tom Arup, ‘Combet Vouches for China Amid Emissions Trading Scheme Doubt’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 24 April 2012.
June 2012
- Justin Norrie, ‘Australia Under a Carbon Price Plan: Q+A with Ross Garnaut’, The Conversation, 30 June 2012.
July 2012
- Justin Norriw, ‘Rich Nations Should Do More on Climate, Say Chinese’, The Conversation, 24 July 2012.
August 2012
- Olivia Boyd, ‘The Motivations for China’s New Energy and Climate Policies’, East Asia Forum, 14 August 2012.
- Gerry Hueston, ‘Australia is Punching Below its Weight’, ABC Environment, 21 August 2012.
November 2012
- Ross Garnaut, ‘Will the Asian Century Reboot our Debate on Growth?’, The Conversation, 1 November 2012.
- Terry McCrann, ‘China Gives Lie to Flannery’s Climate Change Fantasies’, Herald Sun, 27 November 2012.
December 2012
- Sophie Trevitt, ‘Looking to China for our Clean Energy Future’, The Drum, 6 December 2012.
- John O’Brien, ‘China’s Cleantech Boom: Opportunity Knocks for Australia’, Australia China Quarterly, 14 December 2012.
January 2013
- Alex Lo, ‘Carbon Trading in the Asian Century: China’s ETS on Track’, The Conversation, 15 January 2013.
February 2013
- Australian Department of Industry, Innovation, Climate Change, Science, Research and Tertiary Education, ‘China: Acting on Climate Change’, 9 February 2013.
March 2013
- Editor, ‘Australia, China Collaborate on Asia-Pacific Carbon Market’, Environment News, 27 March 2013.
April 2013
- Greg Combet MP, ‘Media Release: Australia and China Strengthen Carbon Market Collaboration’, Partnership for Market Readiness, 9 April 2013.
- The Climate Group, ‘Australia and China’s Leaders Agree to Work Together on Clean Energy and Carbon Tax’, 16 April 2013.
- Maurizio Toscano, Dick Gross and Paul Carter, ‘Thanks to China, Our Carbon Price is Here to Stay’, The Conversation, 17 April 2013.
- Jenny Riesz, ‘Does Australia Hold the Keys to Solving Climate Change’, Business Spectator, 18 April 2013.
- ABC, ‘China Taking the Lead on Climate Change: Study’, Australia Network News, 29 April 2013.
June 2013
- Tristan Edis, ‘At Last, China Gets on Board Carbon Trading’, Crikey, 19 June 2013.
- Shenghao Feng, ‘Emissions Trading in China: Risky, Difficult, but Necessary’, The Conversation, 26 June 2013.
July 2013
- Heath Aston, ‘China Seeks Australia’s Help Building Emissions Trading Scheme’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 11 July 2013.
- AFP, ‘Australia to Switch from Carbon Tax to Emissions Trading Scheme’, South China Morning Post, 15 July 2013.
August 2013
- ABC, ‘China to Invest More in Clean Technologies’, Australia Network News, 13 August 2013.
- World Nuclear Association, ‘Australia’s Uranium’, updated August 2013.
October 2013
- ANU College of Asia & the Pacific, ‘China Set for Carbon Pricing: Study’, 10 October 2013.
- Frank Jotzo and Dimitri de Boer, ‘China’s Short March to Carbon Pricing’, Climate Spectator, 16 October 2013.
- Erwin Jackson, ‘Crikey Clarifier: Is China Showing us up on Climate Change Action? ’, Crikey, 31 October 2013.
November 2013
- Giles Parkinson, ‘Australia Reputation Hits New Low Over T-Shirt Climate Diplomacy’, Renew Economy, 21 November 2013.
- Reuters, ‘Australia, Japan Likely to Offset Climate Gains in US. China, Study Finds’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 21 November 2013.
- Frank Jotzo, ‘Dinosaurs Block Climate Action in Land of Coal’, The Age, 22 November 2013.
- Giles Parkinson, ‘China Surprised and Disappointed by Australia’s Carbon Repeal’, Renew Economy, 22 November 2013.
- Giles Parkinson, ‘Tony Abbott’s Climate Homework: Must Try Much Harder’, Renew Economy, 25 November 2013.
- Alex Lo and Michael Howes, ‘How Will China’s Carbon Markets Work in a Non-Market Economy?’, The Conversation, 27 November 2013.
December 2013
- Adam Morton, ‘Chinese Province’s Emissions Trading Move Leaves Australia Behind’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 2 December 2013.
- John Mathews and Hao Tan, ‘China Roars Ahead with Renewables’, The Conversation, 16 December 2013.
- Alicia Webb, ‘Clearing the Air on Chinese Clean Energy’, Climate Spectator, 20 December 2013.
- Oliver Milman, ‘Conservationists to fight on against China First mine despite legal change’, The Guardian, 23 December 2013.
- Kieran Cooke, ‘Australia Facing Slump as China ‘Goes Green’’, The Ecologist, 24 December 2013.
January 2014
- Graham Lloyd, ‘Green Dream on Ice as ‘Coal Frenzy’ Grips Europe and Renewables Lose their Attraction’, The Australian, 11 January 2014.
February 2014
- Leith van Onselen, ‘Global Press Labels Abbott Green Vandal’, MacroBusiness, 5 February 2014.
- AFP, ‘John Kerry Mocks Climate Change Deniers in Indonesia Speech’, The Australian, 17 February 2014.
- Jonathan Kaiman, ‘China’s Toxic Air Pollution Resembles Nuclear Winter, Say Scientists’, The Guardian, 25 February 2014.
- Sid Maher, ‘Climate Body’s 19pc Emissions Cut to Heat up Climate Debate’, The Australian, 27 February 2014.
June 2014
- Paul Bourke, ‘Climate and energy policy merging, but where is Australia?’, The Interpreter, 17 June 2014.
July 2014
- Lisa Williams, ‘China: Climate wrecked or climate leader?’, The Interpreter, 24 July 2014.
- Lisa Williams, ‘China’s climate change policies: Actors and drivers’, Analysis, Lowy Institute for International Policy, 24 July 2015.
August 2014
- Tom Arup, ‘Climate hope in China coal turnaround: Ross Garnaut’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 26 August 2014.
September 2014
- John Mathews and Hao Tan, ‘China shows there’s more to renewable energy than fighting climate change’, The Conversation, 11 September 2014.
- Rosie Lewis, ‘Kevin Rudd lauds China action on climate change’, The Australian, 12 September 2014.
- Mark Kenny and Lisa Cox, ‘‘Bigger threat than terrorism’: Barack Obama signals Australia, India and China must improve on climate change’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 24 September 2014.
October 2014
- James Massola, Peter Ker and Lisa Cox, ‘Coal is ‘good for humanity’, says Tony Abbott at mine opening’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 13 October 2014.
- Gabrielle Chan, ‘Tony Abbott says ‘coal is good for humanity’ while opening mine’, The Guardian, 13 October 2014.
- Gareth Hutchens and Latika Bourke, ‘‘Absolutely ridiculous’: Joe Hockey denies Australia is dirtiest greenhouse gas emitter in OECD’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 14 October 2014.
- Kerry Brown, ‘Chinese President Xi won’t get the ‘coal is good for humanity’ memo’, The Conversation, 16 October 2014.
November 2014
- Tim Flannery, ‘On climate change, Australia will be left behind by China, the US and the EU’, The Guardian, 10 November 2014.
- David Nakamura and Steven Mufson, ‘US, China reach carbon emissions deal’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 12 November 2014.
- Michelle Grattan, ‘Abbott’s blindsided by US-China climate deal’, The Conversation, 12 November 2014.
- Joanna Heath, Angus Grigg and Lisa Murray, ‘US-China climate deal may not hurt Aussie coal, LNG’, Australian Financial Review, 12 November 2014.
- Giles Parkinson, ‘US, China climate deal puts heat on Australia’, Renew Economy, 12 November 2014.
- Rob Taylor, ‘Australia’s Abbott faces pressure over U.S., China climate plan’, The Wall Street Journal, 12 November 2014.
- Jared Owens, ‘Hockey: Australia resources will benefit from China, US climate pact’, The Australian, 13 November 2014.
- Peter Martin, ‘The China-US climate change deal: Australia’s coal exports at risk’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 13 November 2014.
- Guy Ragen, ‘US-China climate deal leaves Australia wrong-footed’, Australian Conservation Foundation, 13 November 2014.
- Ashley Hall, ‘US and China’s climate change agreement prompts calls for Australia to follow suit’, ABC News, 13 November 2014.
- Editorial, ‘US-China climate deal exposes Tony Abbott’s parochialism’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 14 November 2014.
- Erwin Jackson, ‘US-China climate deal shows up Australia’s pathetic targets’, Crikey, 14 November 2014.
- Peter Ker, Ben Potter and Angela Macdonald-Smith, ‘Gas, uranium producers upbeat on US-China climate deal’, Australian Financial Review, 14 November 2014.
- Kerry Brown, ‘US-China emissions deal will put pressure on Australian growth’, The Conversation, 14 November 2014.
- Julie Bishop MP, Minister for Foreign Affairs, ‘Australia-China MOU on Climate Change Cooperation’, Media Release, 17 November 2014.
- ABC, ‘Chinese wind-farm technology test secured for Tasmania’, ABC News, 17 November 2014.
- AAP, ‘Aust, China sign MOU on climate change’, China Spectator, 17 November 2014.
- Don Henry, ‘The US-China climate deal leaves Australia with no excuse’, The Conversation, 17 November 2014.
- Peter Martin, ‘China ahead of us on climate change. Let’s not belittle its commitment’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 18 November 2014.
- AAP, ‘China and Australia sign memorandum to strengthen Antarctic ties’, The Guardian, 18 November 2014.
- Andrew Darby, ‘China offers reassurance over tis increased activity in Antarctica’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 18 November 2014.
- David Killick, ‘President Xi Jinping meets and greets Antarctic researchers’, The Mercury, 18 November 2014.
- Matthew Denholm, ‘Xi Jinping rejects military moves as Antarctic deal sealed’, The Australian, 19 November 2014.
- Fergus Green, ‘Australia, China and the new carbon climate’, Inside Story, 21 November 2014.
- ‘Stranded: Tony Abbott woos China and India as America rebuffs his climate policy’, The Economist, 22 November 2014.
- Terry McCrann, ‘Reality check needed on US-China climate change deal’, The Australian, 22 November 2014.
- John O’Brien, ‘Why did China-Australia FTA ignore the environment?’, Renew Economy, 24 November 2014.
December 2014
- Reuters and Fairfax Media, ‘China singles out Australia for inadequate action on climate aid’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 5 December 2014.
- Giles Parkinson, ‘China castigates Australia over lack of climate finance’, Renew Economy, 5 December 2014.
- Tristan Edis, ‘China fingers Australia as climate bludger’, The Mercury, 5 December 2014.
- Fergus Green, ‘China, Australia and the future of climate change’, China Spectator, 19 December 2014.
- Australian Government, Department of the Environment, ‘Australia-China collaboration strengthens’, Australian Antarctic Magazine, Issue 27, December 2014.
February 2015
- Gabrielle Chan, ‘PUP senator urges NSW premier to overturn Shenhua coalmine approval’, The Guardian, 4 February 2015.
- Gabrielle Chan, ‘Shenhua criticises government delay on New South Wales coalmine’, The Guardian, 23 February 2015.
- Tom Morton, ‘Battle for Liverpool Plains: Chinese coal project tears at fabric of rural NSW’, The Guardian, 26 February 2015.
March 2015
- Scott Murdoch, ‘Beijing orders cuts in coal use’, The Australian, 9 March 2015.
- Howard Bamsey and Kath Rowley, ‘Australia and climate change negotiations: At the table, or on the menu?’, Analysis, Lowy Institute for International Policy, 25 March 2015.
April 2015
- Tristan Edis, ‘Why the Chinese solar-dumping decision is right for Australia’, Climate Spectator, 8 April 2015.
- Andrew Darby, ‘China moves in for the krill’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 12 April 2015.
- Adam Morton and Tom Arup, ‘China and other big emitters challenge Australia over its climate change policies’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 20 April 2015.
- Shalailah Medhora and Oliver Milman, ‘Australia’s Direct Action climate policy challenged by US, China and Brazil at the UN’, The Guardian, 20 April 2015.
- Sophie Vorrath, ‘Abbott under fire as China, US and others question Australia’s climate policy’, Renew Economy, 20 April 2015.
- Dan Harrison, ‘Australia seen as ‘public enemy No.1’ on climate, Peter Doherty says’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 25 April 2015.
May 2015
- Peter Hannam, ‘Paris climate summit: Carbon pledges to fall short of warming goal, Stern warns’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 4 May 2015.
- Angus Grigg, ‘The one Chinese statistic you can’t ignore’, Australian Financial Review, 5 May 2015.
- Maurice Newman, ‘The UN is using climate change as a tool not an issue’, The Australian, 8 May 2015.
June 2015
- Tom Arup, ‘Australia points to Direct Action in response to tough UN questions on climate responsibility’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 2 June 2015.
- Geoff Winestock, ‘Climate change summits to test Abbott’s global environmental citizenship’, The Guardian, 4 June 2015.
- Jake Sturmer, ‘Australia’s emissions reduction policies scrutinised by other countries in UN meeting in Germany’, ABC News, 5 June 2015.
- Melissa Clarke, ‘Coalition defends climate change policies after grilling from US, China South Africa at UN meeting’, ABC News, 5 June 2015.
- Staff, ‘Australia dodging climate questions: institute’, The Australian, 5 June 2015.
- Cathy Van Extel, ‘How involved is Australia in the global shark fin trade’, ABC Radio National, 18 June 2015.
- Mark Kenny, ‘Climate change: the policy that broke Australia’s polity’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 19 June 2015.
- Peter Hartcher, ‘Australia lagging on climate change response’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 23 October 2015.
- Emma McBryde, ‘Chinese pollution could boost Australian coal sector’, The Queensland Times, 26 June 2015.
- Tom Arup and Adam Morton, ‘Watching brief: Australia in the climate change spotlight ahead of Paris summit’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 26 June 2015.
July 2015
- Philip Wen, ‘Global warming: China intensifies carbon reduction and reaffirms 2030 emissions target’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 1 July 2015.
- Jon Mathews, ‘An emerging renewables superpower: China’s climate pledge guns for green growth’, The Conversation, 2 July 2015.
- Samantha Townshend, ‘China’s plastic waste clogging our shores: A third of plastic garbage on North Coast beach from China’, The Daily Telegraph, 2 July 2015.
- Lisa Cox, ‘How Australia would compare to the rest of the world if Tony Abbott listens to the Climate Change Authority’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 2 July 2015.
- Tony Walker, ‘Australia a ‘black sheep’ over climate’, Australian Financial Review, 3 July 2015.
- Scott Murdoch, ‘China’s emission targets jeopardised by doubt’, The Australian, 4 July 2015.
- Oliver Milman, ‘Greg Hunt approves $1.2bn Shenhua coalmine on Liverpool Plains’, The Guardian, 8 July 2015.
- Peter Hannam, ‘Giant Shenhua Watermark coal mine wins federal approval from Environment Minister Greg Hunt’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 8 July 2015.
- Philip Wen, ‘Giant Chinese mining firm Shenhua has patchy environmental record’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 9 July 2015.