The Federal Government says Australia is on track to meet its climate change goals through its greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets.
The Government has legally committed to lowering greenhouse gas emissions, which are released through industrial and agriculture processes.
In a statement to Parliament, the Climate Change Department said that by 2030, Australia’s emissions will be 42.6% lower than they were in 2005.
It says this is an improvement on last year’s evaluation, which showed emissions reducing by 37%.
Emissions
Australia is bound by the Paris Agreement — a commitment to stop global average temperatures from warming more than 1.5°C above 18th century levels.
As part of this agreement, in September 2022, Parliament passed the Climate Change Act.
Under the law, Australia committed to reducing emissions to 43% lower than 2005 levels by 2030, and to achieve ‘net zero’ by 2050. Net zero means the greenhouse gases a country produces are balanced by those it takes out of the atmosphere.
The law also requires the Government to report on progress made toward achieving these targets each year.
As well as the overall plan to lower emissions by 2030, Australia has committed to keeping emissions below a decade-long budget measured from 2021 to 2030.
On this basis, the Climate Change Department says emissions are currently forecast to be 3% below the budget in 2030.
Government
In a speech to Parliament, Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen said he believes “there’s cause for quiet optimism” because “the numbers show that our plan is working.”
He said Australia has “built a lot of momentum, but there’s so much more to do”.
“Net zero by 2050 is not optional, which means the critical decade is now, not some hypothetical time in the distant future,” Bowen said.
Opposition
Shadow Climate Change Minister Ted O’Brien said the party’s “visionary policy” for nuclear power will have economic benefits.
He said that under the current Government, the cost of electricity has made “doing business unsustainable”.
“Our plan for nuclear energy marries the past with the future, a past… with cheap, clean, consistent 24/7 electricity, to a future where our children and theirs can similarly enjoy a prosperous way of life,” O’Brien said.
Climate Agency
The Climate Change Authority, the peak environmental advisory body, provides independent assessments of national climate policies.
While it acknowledged progress, the Authority warned that “emissions need to fall faster” to meet 2030 targets.
“Every additional tonne of emissions increases greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, escalating climate and economic risks… each sector must do its part,” said chair Matt Kean.
