Australia is subsidising rising diesel use, personal carbon footprints distract from systemic change, forest loss is accelerating and feral cats are killing even more native wildlife than we thought.

Our taxes subsidise diesel’s killing ways

Motor vehicles have as much interest to me as washing machines. We have one of each and, so long as they do their allotted jobs without inconveniencing me, that’s all I care about.

So it surprised me to learn that diesel consumption in Australia doubled between 2014 and 2024, mostly due to increased use in transport (see graph below).

Equally surprising is that diesel provides a fifth of Australia’s energy (more than electricity) and that Australia is the world’s largest importer of diesel and the leading per capita consumer. Freight burns up 45 per cent of our diesel, 90 per cent of which is on the roads, mostly burnt by articulated trucks. Passenger road vehicles and mining are also substantial users.

Although there are several short-term options available for reducing road freight’s diesel use (eg, eco-friendly driving, shorter vehicle turnover periods, better vehicle maintenance, payload optimisation, better route planning and fuel-efficient vehicles), whole-of-industry efficiency gains are probably capable of reducing diesel use by only 10 to 20 per cent. One problem is that, although they carry only 20 per cent of the freight, 80 per cent of trucking businesses are owner-drivers, who are least able and likely to make these changes.

Not only is all this a surprise, it’s also disturbing. Burning diesel releases greenhouse gases (GHGs), which cause more global warming, and the exhaust fumes are loaded with particulate matter and nitrogen oxides, both of which are dreadful for air pollution and human health. Australia should be eliminating the use of diesel as rapidly as possible, not increasing it.

To make matters worse, the Australian government is encouraging companies to use diesel via the Fuel Tax Credit Scheme, which currently........

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