Climate Change Strategy test of commitment
Deb Foskey, ACT Greens MLA, described the long waited release of ACT Government Climate Change Strategy as a test of Government commitment.
“After such a long wait, and several iterations, I am expecting Friday’s Climate Change Strategy to contain strong emission targets and measures and be a model for other state and territory governments. Nothing less will make up for the long period following this Government's dumping of our earlier Greenhouse Strategy” Dr Foskey said today.
“A successful Climate Change Strategy will need to take a whole of government approach.”
“For instance, Planning must mandate energy efficiency standards for residential and commercial buildings and design solar access into suburb design so that every building can maximise solar energy; Transport must increase and improve our public transport and encourage us out of our cars; and charge fuel efficient cars lower registration. Environment must ensure that we maintain our nature parks as biodiversity corridors to enable the movement of plants and animals in response to climate change.”
“We need to know that the Government has risk management plans for climate change impacts, including ensuring that our water supply is sustained and sustainable; and that our demand for water is appropriate.”
“I expect that the Feed-in laws to encourage residents to sell solar power to the grid being proposed by Labor Member Mr Gentleman will be a key plank of the Strategy, bringing us in line with best practice in Europe and some other states.”
“As the motion I put to the Assembly earlier this year called for, the Strategy must include: an inventory of current ACT greenhouse gas emissions; timelines and targets for emissions reductions of 30% by 2020 and 80% by 2050 and mechanisms to strengthen these targets if events require; a mandatory renewable energy target (MRET) of 25% by 2020; and to establish the ACT as a Centre of Sustainability Industries and a model in sustainable urban planning and management.”
“The ACT Government agreed to much of my motion and it should not now pussy-foot around these issues; California has an MRET of 33% by 2020, and I think that ACT residents are at least as concerned as Californians,” said Dr Foskey.
