Australian vehicle emissions are even worse than official figures show and are likely to fall even further behind the rest of the world unless much more ambitious policies are adopted.
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Articles on Fuel efficiency standards
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The new fuel efficiency standards regime will move Australia in the direction of comparable countries, but it has its critics. Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen joins the podcast to discuss this policy and more
The road to fuel-efficiency reform in Australia is a bumpy one – and the Albanese government has hazards to negotiate before its proposal becomes law.
Known as parallel importing, importing goods directly from overseas suppliers lowers costs and increases supply, which is what Australia’s electric vehicle market needs to catch up with the world.
Electric cars are getting a lot of PR buzz, but automakers are still promoting – and many consumers are buying – vehicles that are major gas guzzlers.
Labor has put fuel efficiency rules on the agenda. But the standards must be stringent and purpose-built for Australia.
Opposition from vested interests – including oil refineries and the car dealership industry – has held Australia back on fuel efficiency. The onus is now on the Albanese government to intervene.
The social cost helps regulators factor in harm from climate change when they consider new rules and purchases, like buying electric- vs. gas-powered trucks for the Postal Service.
President Joe Biden needed a Plan B, one that Congress could approve, to take to the UN climate conference. But his new strategy is unlikely to meet the country’s emissions reduction goals for 2030.
Electric cars get a lot of hype, but what really matters for the climate are excess emissions from the many millions of gasoline vehicles still sold each year.
You can reduce your fuel consumption by 15-20% with improved driving habits alone – reducing emissions and saving money at the same time.
The continued upward trend in our second-biggest source of emissions is a result of government inaction on a transport mix dominated by trucks and cars and a lack of fuel-efficiency standards.
Surprise findings have revealed that Australia’s cars are getting less fuel efficient. This is bad news for the hip-pockets of motorists - and for the climate.
New Zealand has proposed new fuel standards, along with a consumer rebates for cleaner cars – paid for by higher costs for high-polluting cars – to cut its rising transport emissions.
This shocking figure comes from our back-of-the-envelope calculations looking at the effect of forcing more efficient engines on the Australian market.
Top contributors
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Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland
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Adjunct Professor, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney
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Research Professor Emeritus, University of Michigan
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Senior Lecturer in Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney
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Emeritus Professor, Energy and Climate Mitigation, Massey University
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Professor of Energy and Environmental Policy and Director, Center for International Environment and Resource Policy at The Fletcher School, Tufts University
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Professor in Applied Mathematics, Massey University
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Fellow in Energy Studies, Baker Institute for Public Policy; Lecturer, Rice University
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Fellow in Energy and Global Oil, Baker Institute for Public Policy, Rice University
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E-Mobility Research Fellow, The University of Queensland
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Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra
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Honorary Principal Fellow, University of Wollongong
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Professor of Economics, Director of the Australian Institute for Business and Economics, The University of Queensland
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Professor of Future Urban Mobility, Swinburne University of Technology
