Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull turned down a fossil fuel subsidy pledge late Sunday, despite dozens of other developed nations signing on.
Turnbull broke the news during a late night phone call with his New Zealand counterpart John Key, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
Around 40 countries including the United States and United Kingdom are set to sign the statement during the COP21 climate talks in Paris, France.
Presented by Key during talks on Monday, the statement called for governments around the world to roll back subsidies that keep fossil fuels cheap, particularly in comparison to green energy.
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“By keeping prices artificially low, fossil-fuel subsidies encourage wasteful consumption, disadvantage renewable energy and depress investment in energy efficiency,” the statement read.
The Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) said Australia's decision on the subsidy statement would be an early sign of the Turnbull government's commitment to climate talks.
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“Some of the world’s biggest mining companies pay not a single cent in tax for the diesel they use in their mining operations,” ACF economist Matthew Rose told News Corporation Australia.
According to the ACF, Australian fossil fuel subsidies amount to around $6 billion Australian dollars (US$4.3 billion) each year. Fuel subsidies to large mining corporations alone cost the Australian taxpayer AU$2 billion annually, according to a recent report from the foundation.
“This equates to (AU)$182 per taxpayer every year, and worth a staggering $9.4 billion over the next four years to some of the most profitable companies operating in this country,” the ACF concluded.
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The 2015 Green Innovation Index from think tank Next10 ranked Australia as one of the worst per capita emitters of carbon emissions. Of the 50 major economies included in the index, Australia was listed at 45, putting it among Gulf states like Saudi Arabia.
The same report also found Australia's total energy consumption is higher than California, France and Italy, despite having a significantly smaller population. Australia's population is just over 23 million—well under half France's population of 66 million and Italy's 60 million, and significantly less than California's population of nearly 38 million.
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