The Climate Council has released a new national energy roadmap detailing how Australia can slash its rising greenhouse pollution levels whilst continuing its transition to renewable energy and storage tech.
The Clean & Reliable Energy: Roadmap to a Renewable Future report features 12 key policy principles for any national energy and climate policy framework – including calls for the rollout of a minimum 50-70% renewable energy target across Australia by 2030.
“Australia needs a fresh approach to cutting greenhouse gas pollution from our electricity,” said Climate Councillor and energy expert Greg Bourne.
“The Federal Government’s offering of the National Energy Guarantee simply doesn’t cut it on improving energy reliability, cutting power prices and tackling climate change. Australia can do better than this.”
“Australia’s transition to renewables and storage is already underway. The only thing placing this at risk is political will. This roadmap calls for twelve basic, key policy principles that should apply to any credible national climate and energy policy in Australia.”
The Roadmap to a Renewable Future framework recommends Australia continues to transition away from its ageing, polluting and inefficient coal and gas fleet and encourage investment in a new clean power supply.
The report calls for pollution targets which can be ratcheted up along with transparent tracking and reporting of carbon pollution levels.
Mr Bourne added: “This roadmap shows that it’s our electricity sector that has the greatest potential to slash pollution through the transition to a 21st Century energy grid, consisting of clean renewables and storage technologies.”
“In order to tackle climate change, the electricity sector needs to cut its carbon pollution by more than 60 per cent over the next decade and head towards zero pollution. Renewables plus storage is how we can do it.”