Climate Council: WA is holding back Australia on Climate

8 September 2024

The Climate Council recently put out a thorough report comparing the progress of states. For the most part, it is a positive report stating that “…embracing clean energy is now a top priority for most states and territories, with impressive progress to prove it.

It goes on to say that all of Australia’s biggest states – NSW, Victoria and Queensland – are “… strengthening their renewable energy targets, and have plans in place to cut climate pollution further and faster this decade” and smaller states like Tasmania “having already achieved 100% renewable energy…is now working to produce twice its energy needs from renewables”

The state that is the exception to this positive transition narrative is, sadly, WA  about which they write: “Unlike every other state, Western Australia’s climate pollution is going up – primarily because it keeps approving new gas projects. This is holding Australia back on cutting climate pollution further and faster this decade to protect our communities.”

The report goes on to say: “Western Australia has a low share of renewable energy and is being left in the dust by other states” and “Western Australia is lagging way behind Australia’s other big states, with no interim, whole-of-economy targets for emissions reduction”

For those who follow me in the WA Parliament, this will come as no surprise. We have been saying it for years, but to have the Climate Council now call out WA for holding Australia back on addressing climate change should be a wake-up call for the WA Government who continue to believe they can greenwash this issue.

No more Wait Awhile WA on climate, please!

https://www.climatecouncil.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Climate-Council-Race-To-The-Top.pdf