The Climate Council has released 10 game-changing actions Australian governments can do now to help Australia move to zero emissions, including electrifying transport.
It’s urging governments to “immediately get cracking on to fast-track emissions reductions”, tackle the energy and cost-of-living crises, and create tens of thousands of new jobs.
The Power Up: 10 Climate Gamechangers report provides a practical roadmap for the Federal Government to speed up its climate action in the 2020s, to ensure Australia well overshoots the 43% emissions reduction target.
Many of the policy recommendations can be implemented in this term of government, the council adds.
“With the Climate Change Act passing the Parliament last week, Australia finally has climate targets enshrined in law. Now the hard work begins to get emissions plummeting this decade to avoid the worst climate impacts,” says Climate Council chief executive Amanda McKenzie.
“The Labor Government says its current climate policy is a floor, and not a ceiling. Well, the Climate Council’s plan provides the tools they’ll need to build the entire house.”
McKenzie says that means getting cracking on expanding renewable energy and electrifying homes and transport which will also save Aussies money on their rapidly rising bills.
“Our Power Up report is a plug-and-play roadmap for policymakers, with practical science-backed solutions that they can implement straight away, using today’s technology,” she adds.
The world has already warmed by around 1.1°C, prompting unprecedented disasters.
“Global emissions must halve this decade if we are to avoid extremely dangerous levels of warming,” McKenzie warns.
Taking account of Australia’s very high per capita emissions and unmatched opportunities for renewable energy, Australia should aim to reduce its emissions by 75% below 2005 levels by 2030, and reach net zero emissions shortly after, she says.
The top 10 include plugging in 100% renewables, boosting batteries through a Renewable Energy Storage Target, upskilling Australians for clean trades, planning ahead for coal closures with the appointment of a National Energy Transition Authority to agree closure dates and transition plans, implementing mandatory fuel efficiency standards as soon as possible, working with states and territories to ditch diesel for renewable electric buses, making new buildings net zero by 2025 and electrifying established ones, ensuring major polluters do their fair share through a stronger Safeguard Mechanism, ending public funding and finance for coal, gas and oil; and developing a comprehensive climate and energy investment plan by 2024.
McKenzie says the global transition to a zero emissions future is already well underway, so Australia can play its part on climate action or get left behind.
“Australians will pay the price if we don’t grasp the opportunity before us.”
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