CCA report says Australia needs major carbon emission cuts to reach 2030 target

Carbon emissions in Australia will need to decline by 15 million tonnes per annum over the next six years for the country to reach its 2030 target of a 43% reduction from 2005 levels, according to a new report

Australia’s Climate Change Authority (CCA) said that, while the country has made important progress in delivering new policies to reduce emissions, there is still work to do to accelerate the roll-out of renewables and ensure emissions are clearly trending down in every sector.

The CCA is a statutory body established under in 2011 to provide independent, evidence-based advice to the Australian government on climate change policy.

New policies

The CCA’s new report recognises the significant new policies legislated or commencing this year including the expanded Capacity Investment Scheme (CIS), the reformed Safeguard Mechanism and the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard.

CCA chair Matt Kean said these and other policies set up the potential for more cuts to emissions in the years to come but that Australia needs to execute them effectively to meet the national 2030 target.

“Australia can maintain a strong economy, protect the environment and preserve our way of life by taking decisive action on climate change,” Mr Kean said.

“Cutting emissions now is an urgent priority and investing in renewables is the best way to do it.”

Further effort

Mr Kean said Australia’s emissions need to fall faster to reach the 2030 target.

“Achieving this will require all existing policies to deliver in full and further government effort to overcome barriers and ensure Australia reaches 82% renewables on schedule.”

“The CCA’s [ten] recommended actions can help the nation get there.”

“As a top priority, the Authority recommends providing firmer and longer-term foundations for the CIS, seizing more of the untapped potential of commercial and industrial solar and storage and investing in the infrastructure that keeps our grid secure and reliable,” Mr Kean said.

“Almost four million homes and businesses already have solar on the roof today [and] larger systems on commercial and industrial facilities can keep boosting Australia’s world-leading uptake.”

Falls not uniform

The CCA report noted that emissions are not yet falling across each sector of the Australian economy.

Emissions are 28% lower than 2005 levels in total, driven almost entirely by reduced land clearing and new tree planting, together with the growth of renewable energy.

However, emissions from agriculture, the built environment, resources, transport, industry and waste combined are 13% above 2005 levels.

“The markers of Australia’s success are clear: clean electricity scaling up fast and emissions falling rapidly,” Mr Kean said.

“Each sector must do its part to deliver the reductions needed across the Australian economy—all sectors already have some technologies available that can reduce emissions.”

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