There are 195 countries in the world. Australia is sixth largest country and takes 55^th place in the world in terms of our population density. Despite relatively low population density we are in the top 15 countries in terms of our CO2 emissions per capita – that is how much emission we produce per each person in the country. Global average is 4.72 tonnes annually per capita while we are responsible for 16.3 tonnes per person. That is over 240% greater than global average! As you know CO2 emissions are one of the primary reasons of climate change as well as general air quality. Sadly, Australia also leads the world in generating most of the single-use plastic waste per capita (~59kg per person in 2019, ahead of USA, South Korea and UK). Despite these numbers, we do actually emit relatively low quantities of plastic into the ocean. Plastic pollution has many negative effects on wildlife health, human health and is also closely linked to CO2 emissions. You can learn more about it here.

So, to answer your question, Australia could reduce its CO2 emission per capita. For example, electric vehicles can be introduced and encouraged, which have been shown to be more environmentally friendly than petrol or diesel cars. Other countries, for example Norway, have already started a shift by offering financial benefits to electric car owners, like tax reduction and free parking. It is particularly viable in smaller states, like Tasmania. We can also push for a shift towards green energy, like sun, wind and wave energy generation. Similarly, reducing plastic consumption and consequently production would have positive effects on environmental pollution and our global emissions. We can also be more conscious about disposal of our waster, including plastic. These efforts have already started with a recent study showing that local government initiatives can reduce plastic pollution by 29%. Other initiatives are being investigated and you can learn more about options here. As individuals we can make “green” choices, for example by not purchasing items we do not need, continue using items that are working instead of replacing them frequently with a newer model, recycling most of our rubbish and avoiding use of single use plastics.