5 May 2021 The state of New South Wales is currently sitting alongside Victoria as the two states of the ‘big four’ that are actually reducing emissions in a clear, sustained and absolute sense. Though both lean heavily on the land use sector for these falling numbers, a growing role of renewable energy and a notable drop in mining activity (which produces emissions domestically) have played at least some role in both. What is startlingly clear is that none of this is sufficient for any state to really be on track to net zero by 2050. Though it will differ across regions, a rough rule we can focus on is that grids should be mostly (95 to 100%) decarbonised by at least 2035, and preferably by the end of the current decade. As I’ve written prior, that baseline is essentially missing from action in most of the debate on electricity, energy and climate in Australia.