WA Gov’t To Legislate Net Zero Emission Target
New legislation is set to be announced today, providing a framework and formalising Western Australia’s target of net zero emissions by 2050.
The bill will introduce a series of requirements to ensure the net zero goal is met – including five-yearly interim emissions targets, and that the Climate Action minister report to Parliament annually on WA’s progress towards targets.
As well as this, the new legislation formalises the aim to reduce specifically Government emissions by 80% below 2020 levels by 2030.
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The laws will make WA the third Australian state to legislate emissions targets following Victoria and Tasmania, along with national legislation passing in September last year that committed to net zero emissions by 2050.
The state government first committed to a net zero target back in 2019, and last year unveiled plans that transitioned the state’s power grid away from coal-fired power plants to a mixture of renewable energy, hydro and batteries.
“Climate change is the greatest challenge of our lifetime,” said Climate Action Minister Reece Whitby.
“We need to take decisive action this decade. This legislation will help accelerate our transition to net zero emissions in a responsible and achievable way.”
Acting Energy Minister Sue Ellery added: “Legislation will drive investment in clean energy infrastructure and technologies while helping position our State as a green energy powerhouse.”