7 May 2021
The NSW transport minister said this week that rolling out a distance-based tax on electric car owners (as the state treasurer flagged) would make them the “laughing stock of the world”.
Instead, he proposed incentives to boost the uptake of electric vehicles such as cheaper car parking and special access to transit lanes.
It comes after the Victorian government this week committed to reducing greenhouse emissions by 45-50% by 2030, and to reaching net zero emissions by 2050. This covers all sectors, including electricity.
The government has already legislated to ensure half Victoria’s energy is drawn from renewables by 2030.
Other states are also setting targets closely aligned with the Paris Agreement commitment of limiting warming to 1.5℃.
Joel Gilmore Associate Professor, Griffith University
Instead, he proposed incentives to boost the uptake of electric vehicles – such as cheaper car parking and special access to transit lanes.
It comes after the Victorian government this week committed to reducing greenhouse emissions by 45-50% by 2030, and to reaching net zero emissions by 2050. This covers all sectors, including electricity. The government has already legislated to ensure half Victoria’s energy is drawn from renewables by 2030.
Other states are also setting targets closely aligned with the Paris Agreement commitment of limiting warming to 1.5℃.
Their efforts lie in contrast to the federal government, which has promoted low-emissions technology advances but didn’t make any new, meaningful emissions reduction commitments at US President Joe Biden’s climate leaders summit last month.
The NSW transport minister said this week that rolling out a distance-based tax on electric car owners (as the state treasurer flagged) would make them the “laughing stock of the world”.
Instead, he proposed incentives to boost the uptake of electric vehicles such as cheaper car parking and special access to transit lanes.
It comes after the Victorian government this week committed to reducing greenhouse emissions by 45-50% by 2030, and to reaching net zero emissions by 2050. This covers all sectors, including electricity. The government has already legislated to ensure half Victoria’s energy is drawn from renewables by 2030.
Other states are also setting targets closely aligned with the Paris Agreement commitment of limiting warming to 1.5℃.
States of disarray: Australia needs national plan to tackle climate
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By Tony Wood
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Victoria’s climate change strategy provides a stark illustration of why Australia needs a national strategy to reduce emissions at lowest cost over the next few decades.
Drawing from the work of an independent expert panel led by Labor’s former federal climate change minister Greg Combet, the Victorian government has announced interim emissions reduction targets against the state’s 2005 level of 28-33 per cent by 2025, and 45-50 per cent by 2030. These targets are arguably consistent with the government’s target of net-zero by 2050.