A committed target for this decade, with the trajectory clearly defined for the next ten years.
Environment & ClimateAction on Climate Change
Action on Climate Change · The Democrats’ planNet zero needs a plan, not a date.
Australia ranks 55th on the Climate Change Performance Index — below the USA and China — and current government projections have emissions falling 32–42% by 2030 on 2005 levels, short of the 45–65% the government’s own Climate Change Authority set out in 2015. We commit to cutting emissions by at least 55% by 2030, with the plans for decarbonising published this decade rather than deferred to 2050.
1.1°C Warming already on the record Average global temperatures in 2011–2020, against the second half of the 1800s. IPCC Sixth Assessment Report, 2023.
2.7°C Where current policies lead by 2100 Climate Action Tracker’s projection — well above the Paris Agreement’s “well below 2°C”.
55th Australia’s place in the world On the Climate Change Performance Index — below both the USA and China.
45–65% What the government’s own advisers set out The Climate Change Authority’s 2015 targets, against current projections of 32–42% by 2030 on 2005 levels.
Pick the 2030 target
Slide the ambition and see where it lands against the projections and the science.
Ranges from the CCPI, government projections and the Climate Change Authority’s 2015 advice.
The plan at a glance
Plans for decarbonising released this decade, not held back until 2050 — targeting the areas with the biggest emission footprints: electricity, transport, stationary energy (homes and offices) and agriculture.
Heating, cooking, cars and industrial processes moved onto clean power, with regional rail and non-car city links as real alternatives to the combustion engine.
Carbon priced at $30 a tonne and rising in line with our key trading partners, fossil fuel subsidies stopped, and no new coal or gas mines authorised.
Australia self-sufficient in renewables and a leading renewables exporter, with clean energy manufacturing supply chains built here — appropriate protections and equitable participation for Indigenous owners included — and new renewable infrastructure planned and regulated so it is timely, orderly and evidence-informed.
Two ways through this decade
Same country, same sun and wind, same ten years — different decisions.
Australia today
- Net zero treated as a 2050 destination, with no route published
- Homes, cars and industry still running on fossil fuels
- Fossil fuel subsidies continue and new coal and gas mines are still authorised
- Vested interests and the fossil fuel lobby holding the transition back
Our plan
- Decarbonising plans published this decade, sector by sector
- Electrify everything possible, with regional rail and non-car transport built out
- Subsidies stopped, no new coal or gas approvals, carbon priced at $30 a tonne
- Government drives the transition, with burdens and benefits fairly shared
The one change that matters most
Emissions projected to fall 32–42% by 2030 on 2005 levels
At least 55% by 2030, the trajectory defined for the next ten years
The government’s own Climate Change Authority set out targets on this scale in 2015, and the report Pathways to Deep Decarbonisation in 2050 shows that is achievable if government drives the transition.
The full policy
Word for word — the platform as our members wrote it.
The Issues
The world must change its approach to energy, recognise the limit to endless growth, and find a sustainable balance with nature, or we will suffer the worst consequences of climate change. We must electrify energy and fundamentally change our lifestyle.
A federal government plan is essential to reach net-zero by 2050. Action must be decisive and the trajectory clearly defined for the next 10 years. Australia still ranks an appalling 55th in the Climate Change Performance Index – below USA and China.
Current government projections are for a 32-42% reduction in emissions by 2030 on 2005 levels. Targets put up by the government’s own Climate Change Authority in 2015 were to reduce emissions by 45-65%. The report Pathways to Deep Decarbonisation in 2050 shows that this is achievable if government drives the transition.
Our Plan
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Commit to reducing emissions by at least 55% by 2030.
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Develop and publish plans for decarbonising this decade, not wait until 2050.
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Plan the transition away from fossil fuels, targeting the areas with the biggest emission footprints – electricity, transport, stationary energy (including homes and offices), and agriculture.
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Electrify everything – or as much as possible! (heating, cooking, cars, industrial processes).
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Provide transport alternatives to internal combustion engine vehicles, including enhanced regional rail links and non-car transport links in cities. Move to renewable fuels where appropriate.
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Support Australia’s clean energy manufacturing supply chains ensuring appropriate protections and equitable participation for indigenous owners.
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Take a key role in planning and regulating new renewable infrastructure so it is timely, orderly and evidence-informed.
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Price carbon at $30/tonne, and increase this in line with our key trading partners
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Stop subsidising the fossil fuel industry and stop authorising new coal and gas mines
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Ensure the burdens and benefits for people, the economy, and the environment are transparent, properly considered, and fairly shared.
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Make Australia self-sufficient in renewables and a leading renewables exporter.
The Evidence
The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report published in 2023 found that average global temperatures in 2011-2020 were 1.1 degrees higher than in the second half of the 1800s, as a result of human-made greenhouse gas emissions.
Looking forward, the IPCC report shows five future emissions scenarios, with the range of scenarios resulting in warming outcomes of between +1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels in the very low case and +5 degrees in the very high case.
— Source: IPCC Sixth Assessment Report, 2023
Analysis by Climate Action Tracker projects that under current policies the world is heading for warming of 2.7°C by 2100, which is nearest to the IPCC’s ‘intermediate’ scenario. This result would be well above the target set in the 2015 Paris Agreement to keep warming “well below 2°C”.
Many nations other than Australia are taking action to reduce and phase out the use of fossil fuels. As a wealthy, developed country, Australia can and should be a leader in the energy transition. Moreover, we have the wealth of renewable energy resources (sun and wind) and critical minerals to be a major beneficiary of the energy transition.
Despite this, as one of the worlds largest exporters of fossil fuels, vested interests and the fossil fuel lobby have held back progress in orienting Australia towards a clean energy future. This is why it is so important to keep the bastards in power honest and demand that government acts.
References
- Sources and further reading will be listed here.
Make it happen.
Policies like this only become law when enough people push. Push with us.