Australia needs to do more, move faster, and rule out new fossil fuel projects, says Greenpeace Australia Pacific, as the nation's new annual emissions projection reveals climate pollution is being driven by transport and toxic gas.
Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen delivered an update on Australia's climate progress in parliament alongside the release of the first Climate Change Authority report required under the Climate Change Act 2022[1], which revealed that, while emissions reduction projections have improved under the current government, Australia is falling three per cent short of its target to reduce emissions by 43 per cent by 2030.
Glenn Walker, Head of Advocacy and Strategy at Greenpeace Australia Pacific, said the Albanese government is making decent progress but needs to do more and faster.
"The Albanese government has made a decent start, but far more radical and urgent action is needed to turn the climate crisis around. Having been elected on a mandate to do so, the government cannot now deal in half measures to achieve an inadequate target.
"Instead, it must do more and it must do it faster. Minister Bowen today singled out industry as the biggest growing source of emissions, and yet new climate-wrecking projects like Woodside's huge toxic offshore gas drilling in Western Australia march onwards. They must be abandoned, and fast, and big polluters like Woodside must be held accountable for their outsized emissions through a strengthened Safeguard Mechanism.
"Only then can we shift the burden of action from consumers, small businesses, and farmers to those raking in massive profits while driving the climate crisis.
"The rubber hits the road over the next six months, and the government has the opportunity to significantly scale up Australia's climate response by introducing strong fuel efficiency standards to get clean electric vehicles on the road and making big corporate polluters pull their weight on emissions reduction with a strengthened Safeguard Mechanism."
