Australia on track for upgraded emission reduction targets, government says
Author: Lewis Jackson
Australia is on track to meet recently beefed up climate action targets once a raft of new measures, including a $A15 billion national reconstruction fund, is implemented, the government said on December 1, 2022. Australia was for years an international laggard on efforts to prevent climate change but the recently elected Labor government has increased the target to reduce emissions to 43 per cent by 2030, from up to 28 per cent by 2030, after the party won power in May for the first time in almost nine years. Energy Minister Chris Bowen said on December 1, 2022 the target of a 43 per cent reduction in emissions would be hit once various proposals are implemented, including an electric vehicle strategy and the $A15 billion national reconstruction fund currently before parliament. Transport, agriculture and land use are projected to contribute the most emissions over the decade as investment in renewable energy slashes emissions in the electricity sector. Spain's Acciona announced on Monday it would build a $A2 billion wind farm in the northeastern state of Queensland, which aims to generate 70 per cent of power renewably by 2032.