SA sets most ambitious plan in Australia to cut carbon emissions by 2030
South Australia has set a new 10-year target to slash greenhouse gas emissions - the most ambitious goal of any Australian state and almost double the federal government’s 2030 target.
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A push to put more electric cars on our roads will spearhead South Australia’s ambitious new effort to halve greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
The State Government has set the new target of cutting emissions to 50 per cent of 2005 levels in a bid to “turbo-charge” its efforts to tackle climate change.
It’s the highest 10-year target of any state in Australia, and almost double the Federal Government’s target.
Only the Australian Capital Territory – about 417 times smaller than SA, with a fraction of the carbon dioxide emissions – has a higher target.
The plan to halve emissions on 2005 levels by 2030 will involve a strategy to get more electric vehicles on SA roads, among other measures.
It will also add to growing pressure on the Federal Government to do more to tackle climate change in the wake of this summer’s bushfire crisis.
State Environment Minister David Speirs said SA wanted to “lead the way” nationally and internationally with a target that would “turbocharge” its plans for net zero emissions by 2050. “It will force us to put in place a whole range of strategies and tactics ... to accelerate that journey,” Mr Speirs said.
An electric vehicle strategy will be released this year as one of the top priorities.
“Transport is an area where we can effect a fairly significant change,” Mr Speirs, pictured, said.
“We need to look at electric vehicles and hydrogen vehicles, because we think hydrogen will be more of a solution for long journeys and freight.”
Other priorities will be “Blue Carbon” projects to protect and restore seagrasses, mangroves and wetlands, which naturally capture and store emissions, along with looking at cleaner technologies for mining and revegetation projects.
Grid stability would continue to be a priority, and would help push down power prices, Mr Speirs said.
Asked about the 2016 blackout, he said SA had “gotten over that big bump in the road”. “We can now trend back down after having those very unfortunate high energy prices, combined with fragility in the grid,” he said.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison is sticking by plans to “meet and beat” Australia’s current 2030 target to cut emissions by 26-28 per cent.
Coalition backbenchers are divided on calls to build a new coal-fired power station.
Energy and Emissions Reduction Minister Angus Taylor said new technologies or practices such as hydrogen, carbon capture and storage, biofuels, lithium production and waste-to-energy were the best way to “deliver on and beat” Australia’s goals.
Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young said the SA Liberals’ target showed how “out of step” their federal counterparts were on climate change.
Federal Labor’s climate change and energy spokesman Mark Butler said South Australians wouldn’t forget Steven Marshall talking down Labor’s investment in renewable energy ahead of the state election.