Page 1619 - Week 05 - Thursday, 5 May 2016
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However, a successful meeting of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of the Parties in Paris last year saw an agreement on stronger action on climate change. Shortly before Paris, South Australia announced a target of carbon neutrality by 2050. Our previously world leading achievements as stated in our legislation will need to be updated to meet new global expectations and best practice.
The review details each section of the act against the stated objectives, and with regard to the purpose outlined for each section. It also identifies options for improving the act in reference to the current national and international climate change policy context.
I am pleased to advise members that this operational review showed that the act is successful in meeting its objectives of reduced emissions in the ACT and fostering investment in renewable energy technologies. It has also achieved the creation of a strong reporting and monitoring framework and seen the facilitation of the development of policies and programs to meet the targets and adapt to climate change as a community. Finally, the act has encouraged private entities to take actions. These cover all of the core objectives of the act.
The ACT was projected in July 2015 to be on track to meet its first legislated emissions target of 40 per cent below 1990 levels by the year 2020, largely through major investments in renewable energy, and energy efficiency schemes. The ACT emissions profile for the financial year 2014-15 is approximately 12 per cent lower than in 2010-11, the year from which the targets were implemented.
It is worth noting to members, however, that changes made in the international greenhouse gas accounting of land use and forestry emissions have had some impacts. These numbers, modelled at the national level, have been fluctuating as they improve data analysis. This continues to affect the ACT 1990 baseline year in the upcoming 2015-16 inventory. This is an issue that is addressed within the review.
The principal target in the act is for net zero emissions by 2060. I present considerations for moving the principal target year forward to 2050 to meet emerging international standards and to ensure the ACT remains in a leadership position of states and regions acting on climate change.
Between 2020 and 2050 there are no set targets. This leaves three decades without a measurable emissions goal to monitor against. Therefore the act, which allows for the determination of interim targets, could benefit from such targets being set. This determination can be made by the Minister for the Environment and Climate Change and should be a consideration for 2017.
The act’s peaking per person emissions target for 2013 has been achieved and demonstrated through the 2013 ACT greenhouse gas inventory. ACT per person emissions in 2014-15 were 9.97 tonnes of CO2 equivalent, well below the 12.12 tonnes per capita in 2010-11. This section has been useful in meeting objectives for rigorous monitoring and reporting and providing the first target to track against. I
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