The Northern Territory Government has reneged on its election promise to implement a 2030 emissions reduction target.
In budget estimates on Wednesday, NT Minister for Lands, Planning and Environment Joshua Burgoyne said the CLP government had not adopted its promised 2030 emissions target.
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“[The 2030 target] is not current government policy,” he said.
“There’s the [overarching] target of that net zero by 2050, which has yet to change.”
During a CLP central council meeting at the weekend, party delegates passed a motion supporting the abandonment of net zero and a withdrawal from the Paris Agreement.
Burgoyne also faced questions about why the government had removed a cornerstone document requiring the Territory’s Environment Protection Authority to assess, consider and regulate climate pollution from industries such as fracking, gas prospecting and agriculture.
According to Environment Centre NT, the NTEPA Atmospheric Processes Guidance document has been secretly replaced with a weaker regulatory statement without any community consultation.
Burgoyne said the Territory was a “relatively small emitter” and said climate change provided risks and “opportunities”.
Environment Centre NT executive director Kirsty Howey said, “Saying climate change is an ‘opportunity’ is tone-deaf and insulting to Territorians who are struggling with rising energy costs and already feeling the impacts of climate change.
“This is more than a broken promise—abandoning our climate targets is like pouring petrol on a fire.
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“You can’t claim to be serious about climate change while fast-tracking new gas projects like fracking in the Beetaloo and the Middle Arm gas and petrochemical hub, and abandoning emissions targets completely.
“Without immediate action to slash emissions, Darwin and much of the Territory will become unliveable within decades.”
