Labor announces 2030 emissions reduction target

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (climate club)
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese

Labor says it is committing to cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 43 per cent by 2030 if it wins next year’s election.

While the target is slightly lower than the 45 per cent Labor said it would commit to in the last election, it is still significantly higher than the Coalition’s longstanding target of 26 to 28 per cent.

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Labor is yet to detail what policies would help it achieve the 2030 target, despite criticising the Morrison government for doing the same in the lead-up to COP26.

“The Coalition is projecting Australia’s emissions will have fallen by as much as 35 per cent by 2030, but will not commit to reaching that,” ABC News reported.

Both Labor and the LNP have committed to reaching net-zero emissions by 2050, however, the Morrison government has come under fire for hinging its plan to reach the target on future technologies.

In October, the government announced it would commit to the target after weeks of bitter debate within the Coalition which saw some Nationals MPs say they would never support the policy.

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However, the Nationals gave their “in principle” support to the government’s policy, saying further details would be revealed about the party’s negotiations to save regional jobs.

Reaching net-zero emissions and Australia’s energy transition will be key issues at the federal election next year.

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