Federal Election debate: How can Australia get to net zero by 2050?

Both Scott Morrison and Anthony Albanese have promised to reduce Australia’s carbon emissions to net zero to 2050. Now experts have revealed what the future holds.

There are some “serious challenges” but “huge opportunities” for Australia’s billion-dollar agriculture industry in embracing a world of net-zero emissions by 2050, according to National Farmers’ Federation chief executive Tony Mahar.

Addressing a pre-election climate change forum hosted by The Weekly Times tonight Mr Mahar said getting balance right “and allowing technology and innovation and science to actually drive the agriculture sector’s engagement and participation in the market that is coming” was incredibly important.

The NFF called for a net-zero by 2050 plan in August 2020. In the lead-up to crucial climate change talks in Glasgow last year, the federation stressed the development of an economic pathway needed to be built into any government policy and warned that farmers could not be burdened by unnecessary red tape.

Mr Mahar said there were “very clear signals” from governments, scientists and industry “about the direction of the wind in this space”.

“For us it is understanding the work that has been done in agriculture, and will continue to be done, and how farmers, farm businesses and rural and regional communities can take advantage of the opportunities,” he said.

“We are optimistic and we are realistic about the future and we want to play our part, and be part of the solution.”

Isaac Regional Council deputy mayor Kelly Vea Vea said achieving the net-zero target would prove challenging for her region of central Queensland “when demand for coal is so strong”.

Cr Vea Vea told the forum in the Bowen Basin itself there were currently 44 coal mines.

“In my region there’s 28, there’s two more being constructed, we’ve got four more under expansion and probably about 11 more in the approvals process,” she said.

“They are really triggered by demand and (the 2050 target) is going to be a real challenge, particularly in the coal sector when we are not seeing at the moment technology or innovation really bring us that green steel to meet the demand that the globe is putting out there.

“What we are looking for are ways the mining sector can use innovation to really start to address the impact on the environment and some of the bigger miners are taking that very seriously.”

Clean Energy Council chief executive Kane Thornton said it was pleasing to see, from this year’s federal election campaign, “a lot more recognition of the opportunity in front of us”.

“Yes there’s costs and there’s challenges (moving to a net-zero future) but there is enormous opportunity, and if you look at where those renewable resources are, where the investment is already flowing into Australia, it is undoubtedly rural and regional parts of the country that have a lot to gain,” he said.