The Commonwealth Government is inviting submissions on Australia’s next greenhouse gas emissions reduction target for the post-2020 period.
We are determined to reduce emissions – but without a carbon tax and without destroying jobs.
All countries have agreed to propose their national post-2020 emissions reduction target before the United Nations climate change conference in Paris in December 2015.
This government is committed to tackling climate change through direct action measures and will announce Australia’s post-2020 emission reduction target in mid-2015.
Today, the Government has released an issues paper inviting views on the post-2020 target.
The issues paper provides the context for setting Australia’s post-2020 target and the key considerations that will inform the Government’s decision-making process.
We recognise the importance of consulting widely on this issue, and the views of the Australian community will be considered in setting the next target.
Australia is already making major contributions to address climate change, through action to cut domestic emissions and through our international aid programme.
For the period leading up to 2020, new emissions projections released this week show we are well on track to meet or beat our target of reducing emissions by five per cent from 2000 levels.
The $2.55 billion Emissions Reduction Fund will help achieve this target, which is equivalent to a reduction of 13 per cent below 2005 levels. The first auction will be held on 15 April and early interest is ahead of expectations.
Labor overstated Australia’s abatement challenge by more than a billion tonnes of emissions. Under Labor, the abatement challenge to achieve the five per cent target was forecast to be 1,335 Mt CO2-e in 2008. This has now fallen to 236 Mt CO2‑e.
A taskforce in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has been established to coordinate the setting of Australia’s post-2020 target.
The issues paper and further information on the submissions process can be found at www.dpmc.gov.au.
Submissions on the issues paper are sought by 24 April 2015.
28 March 2015