Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction, Angus Taylor has said the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Sixth Assessment Report reinforces the need for a coordinated, global effort to reduce emissions.
Mr Taylor said the Report, Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis, provided an update on the latest physical science on climate change, including the rates, causes and likely future trajectories of global warming and other changes to the climate system.
“Overcoming these challenges is a shared responsibility,” Mr Taylor said.
“Australia is committed to achieving net zero emissions as soon as possible, preferably by 2050, and to meeting and exceeding our 2030 commitment, as we already have with our 2020 targets.”
He said that since 2018, Australia’s 2030 position had improved by 639 million tonnes, which was equivalent to taking all of Australia’s 14.7 million cars off the road for 15 years.
Mr Taylor promised updated forecasts ahead of the COP26 climate summit later in the year, which he expected to show a further improvement.
“These improvements are driven by Australian households and businesses adopting new energy technologies at record rates,” he said.
“Australia now has the most solar per person of any country in the world, the most wind and solar of any country outside of Europe, and the highest uptake of household solar in the world.”
The Minister said the Government’s Technology Investment Roadmap was positioning Australia to be a leader in the next generation of low-emissions technologies that would make net zero emissions practically achievable.
“The Roadmap will drive $80 billion of investment in low-emissions technologies in Australia by 2030,” Mr Taylor said.
The IPCC’s 3,940-page Report can be accessed at this PS News link.
