Climate Tasmania report urges state government to do more to bring down transport emissions

The state government is being urged to take swift action to curb carbon emissions in the transport sector, as a report reveals Tasmania is the only state without a strategy to slash the sector’s emissions. DETAILS >

Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

The state government is being urged to take swift action to curb carbon emissions in the transport sector, with a new report highlighting that Tasmania is the only state lacking a policy document with targets for vehicle electrification.

Climate Tasmania, an expert group of professionals providing advice to government and business on policy responses to climate change, has published a paper outlining what the state government must do to bring down transport emissions, which account for 21 per cent of Tasmania’s gross emissions.

Transport is the third-largest source of emissions in the state, behind the energy (42 per cent) and agriculture sectors (34 per cent).

The report, authored by Climate Tasmania member, Rachel Hay, makes a suite of recommendations to the government about how to best approach decarbonising the transport sector.

Rachel Hay, Climate Tasmania member. Picture: Supplied

Ms Hay, a researcher and campaigner who worked with the Tasmanian Independent Science Council on a review of the state’s Climate Change Act, said Tasmania was falling behind its mainland counterparts when it came to reducing transport emissions.

She said Tasmania was the only state without a strategy to slash the sector’s emissions or a purchase price incentive for electric vehicle uptake, such as a subsidy.

“There’s a range of policy options available to the Tasmanian government to increase electric vehicles in lutruwita/Tasmania: purchase price incentives, electrification targets and increasing charging infrastructure,” she said.

Ms Hay said electrification of vehicles alone would “not see the reduction of transport emissions that lutruwita/Tasmania needs”.

“We need to see public transport and active transport increased through government investment,” she said.

Ms Hay’s recommendations include the establishment of an ambitious transport sector emission reduction plan by 2024, a commitment to 100 per cent of all light vehicle sales being electric by 2030 and full electrification of the bus fleet, purchase price incentives for EV drivers, and targets for increasing the use of public and active transport.

Heavy traffic in bound to Hobart on the Southern Outlet. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

On Thursday, the government unveiled its Climate Change Action Plan 2023-25, which committed to developing an emissions reduction and resilience plan for the transport sector by November this year.

The action plan also flagged financial incentives to encourage EV uptake, a grant program for the purchase of e-bikes and e-scooters, an updated active transport strategy, and embedding the consideration of EV charging infrastructure into the statewide planning scheme.

The government has pledged to transition its vehicle fleet to 100 per cent electric by 2030 and is also set to trial zero emission buses in partnership with Metro Tasmania.