George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Hansard source

It is very important indeed. As Prime Minister Abbott said, if I may quote him: 'The Australian government accepts the science of climate change and is committed to reducing Australia's carbon emissions by five per cent below 2000 levels by 2020.' China is the world's largest emitter, contributing around one-quarter of all emissions. Australia accounts for about 1.3 per cent of global emissions. China's emissions are currently around 20 times as large as Australia's annual emissions. China also consumes almost 50 per cent of the world's coal, and that is expected to increase. We know from the US-China announcement the other day that China's emissions will continue rising for the decade ahead before peaking in or around 2030. By contrast, Australia's electricity demand and emissions are falling. We are committed to working with China on emissions reduction.