NSW to cut emissions by 35 pct by 2030, attacks “vested interests and ideologues”

The NSW Liberal government is set to adopt a 2030 target to reduce the state’s greenhouse gas emissions by 35 per cent by 2030, after NSW energy minister Matt Kean hit out at ‘vested interests and ideologues’ who are slowing action on climate change.

As reported in Nine newspapers, the NSW government is expected to announce that it has committed to reducing the state’s greenhouse gas emissions by 35 per cent by 2030, in a decision that has been signed off by the NSW cabinet.

The commitment would be the first interim goal set by the NSW government, following an earlier commitment to reach zero net emissions, and it will join other state and territory government that have also established interim emissions reduction targets that are substantially more ambitious that the 2030 target adopted by the federal government.

The Victorian government is currently in the process of deciding on interim targets to meet its own commitment of reaching zero net emissions by 2050, with an independent review led by former federal climate change minister Greg Combet recommending the state adopt a 2030 emissions reduction target of between 45 and 60 per cent below 2005 levels.

The ACT government set its own interim emissions reduction target, and will aim to reduce emissions by 65-75% below 1990 levels by 2030, building on the territory’s successful transition to 100 per cent renewable electricity that it achieved in October.

The Morrison government is currently defending its plans to reach its own 26 to 28 per cent 2030 emissions reduction target, yet reaching this target depends almost entirely on the use of surplus Kyoto credits, largely sources from a period where Australia was allowed to increase emissions rather than cut them.

More than 100 countries have moved  to prevent the use of legacy permits at climate negotiations in Madrid, and Kean has confirmed that the NSW government will not use any of the Kyoto Protocol-era permits to meet its own emissions reduction targets.

The adoption of a 2030 emissions reduction target would see the NSW Liberal-National government, with NSW being responsible for around a quarter of Australia’s overall greenhouse gas emissions, set a more ambitious target than that of their federal counterparts.

As many as 20,000 demonstrators marched through Sydney on Wednesday, demanding action on climate change, following weeks of unprecedent bushfires that have devastated communities and caused weeks of hazardous air pollution in Sydney.

Kean used a speech this week to the National Smart Energy Summit in Sydney to take a swipe at those with “vested interests and ideologues”, that was understood to be a pointed dig at some within his own party that have undermined efforts to establish effective climate and energy policies at a national level.

“We cannot allow ideology and politics to get in the way of our clear path to secure our economic prosperity, let alone the health of our planet for generations of Australians,” Kean told the National Smart Energy Conference.

“To those vested interests and ideologues who want to stand in the way of this transition, I say enjoy your Kodak moment because the energy iPhone is on its way.”

The NSW energy minister recently revealed plans to establish Australia’s first dedicated renewable energy zone in the state’s central west region, centred around the regional township of Dubbo, that will see up to 3,000MW of additional renewable energy capacity added to NSW’s energy system.