Last week, Australia's federal government introduced a very different bill from the previous government that would lock in Australia's commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 and provide stronger oversight and accountability for the climate change process.
The bill, called the Climate Change Act of 2022, has four key parts. Lawmakers hope the bill will propel a country often seen as a laggard on climate change to the status of climate leader.
While Australia's last Conservative government pledged to meet its 2050 net-zero emissions target, it refused to incorporate the target into national legislation. At the time, the Clean Energy Council of Australia described the move as "disappointing" and "lack of ambition".
Now, with the help of the recently elected Labor government, Australia looks set to pass new legislation pledging to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 43 per cent from 2005 levels by 2030, before reaching net-zero emissions by 2050.
In May's general election, the Anthony Albanese government wins with a climate agenda that differs from previous governments
Australia's newly created climate change and energy minister, Chris Bowen, said the legislation would send a strong signal to the energy industry about the new government's intentions and restore Australia's standing on the international stage.
Most importantly, by ordering key government agencies such as ARENA, the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) and Infrastructure Australia, this bill makes legislation part of its mandate to lock in these commitments as long-term goals, meaning the future. It will be harder for governments to change or remove those goals.
Australian Greens leader Adam Bandt said on Twitter that his party had "secured amendments to Labor's weak climate bill and will vote to pass the amendments." As adamantly opposed to any increased investment in fossil fuels, he backed the government for the new of coal and natural gas projects.
Following the news, Australia's rating in the Climate Action Tracker has dropped from "highly deficient" to just "insufficient", a label for many other developed countries. Australia's domestic target was raised to "almost adequate".
"In the critical period to 2030, the new government has an opportunity to intensify climate action," the climate monitoring group said. "To achieve this, the Albanese government needs to forego support for new fossil fuel projects that will drive up emissions. , not descending."
The bill also requires Australia's Independent Climate Change Authority to provide advice and updates on Australia's progress in meeting these new enhanced targets, and a separate section of the bill requires the Minister of Climate Change to submit an annual report to the Australian Parliament on progress towards these targets. Report.