The federal government has announced its next step to tackle climate change with a plan to cut emissions by 62 to 70 per cent by 2035. The Prime Minister says the decision is based on science, but environmental groups are disappointed with the figure.
00:04After months of deliberations, the Prime Minister's outlined the Government's goal to reduce pollution.
00:09This is a responsible target, backed by the science, backed by a practical plan to get there.
00:16Accepting the advice of the Independent Climate Change Authority to reduce emissions by 62 to 70 per cent by 2035.
00:25Because we need to be flexible to deal with whatever challenges are thrown at us, we've recommended a target range.
00:32The authority says it won't be easy to meet the target, but suggests Australia must quadruple wind capacity, double rooftop solar,
00:40ensure half of new cars are EVs and end logging of old growth forests.
00:45There will be criticism from some who say it's too high. There's some who will say that it's too low.
00:52We think that this is achievable but difficult.
00:56We really want to make sure that it doesn't come as a cost to farmers.
01:00This target is so appallingly low, it will not keep us safe.
01:03A target over 70 is not achievable.
01:06It is a target that has been very carefully calibrated and is one that is very well compared with like-minded and similar economies.
01:15Canada's target is between 45 to 50 per cent, New Zealand 51 to 55 per cent, UK is about 78 per cent, while the United States doesn't have one.
01:26The government says electricity, transport and industry are the sectors where emissions need to drastically reduce.
01:33As a starting point, promising to spend more than $8 billion to help, including investments in renewables and EV charges.
01:41We need to have investment from the mums and dads, from our community groups and NGOs, as well as from business and governments.
01:48The opposition weighing in despite not having a policy to tackle climate change.
01:53Cost and credibility are key.
01:56The Prime Minister previously made a promise to reduce household power bills by $275 under a plan to boost renewable energy.
02:05Burned by that experience, Anthony Albanese today laughed off a question about how much Australians would save under this target.
02:12Advice given to governments suggests up to $1,000 a year could be saved by 2035, but there's still a lot of uncertainty at the heart of this plan.
Be the first to comment