The federal government last month introduced legislation that will commit Australia to achieve net zero by 2050. The legislation is known as the Climate Change Bill 2022. On Thursday, it passed the Senate.
At the top level, the Climate Change Bill will require Australia to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to a level that is 43 per cent below what it was in 2005 – we’ll need to do this by 2030. Then, net zero by 2050.
According to Chris Bowen, Minister for Climate Change and Energy (yep, we have one of them now), legislating this gives the industry a strong signal that the government means action when it comes to climate change. Bowen said it will also help restore Australia’s international reputation.
On Thursday, the Senate passed the Bill, after the Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee which was looking into the Bill, gave it the green light.
What’s in Australia’s Climate Change Bill?
The Climate Change Bill has four key elements, the first is the aforementioned requirement to reduce emissions by 43 per cent below 2005 levels and reach net zero emissions by 2050.
The second tasks the independent Climate Change Authority to provide advice on Australia’s progress against those targets. The Authority will also be required to advise on new targets under the Paris Agreement, which Bowen said will include a 2035 target. The Bill will reflect Australia’s obligations under the Paris Agreement, which were committed to by the previous government. These include holding the increase in global temperature to well below 2C above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels.
The next requires the Minister for Climate Change (which is currently Bowen) to report annually to Parliament on progress in meeting these targets. This will include updates on progress made during the year towards achieving the targets, international developments that are relevant to addressing climate change and the effectiveness of the government’s climate change policies in contributing to the achievement of the targets.
The last key element of the Climate Change Bill is that it will embed the nation’s targets in the objectives and functions of a range of key government agencies including ARENA, CEFC, Infrastructure Australia and the NAIF. This means those organisations will be required to adhere to the legislative direction.
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Committee green light
Handing down its report into the Climate Change Bill 2022 [Provisions] and the Climate Change (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2022 [Provisions] late last month, the Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee made three recommendations.
- The committee recommends that the Senate pass the Climate Change Bill 2022.
- The committee recommends that the Senate pass the Climate Change (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2022.
- The committee recommends that the government, subsequent to the passage of the Bills, undertake further consultation on possible legislative amendments and appropriate policy responses, including reviewing the use of native forest wood waste for renewable energy and the transition arrangements for Australian workers impacted by decarbonisation.
When will the Bill become law?
With the Bill passed, it’s now awaiting approval for amendments that were put forward by the Senate.
The Climate Change Bills have passed the #Senate with amendments from Senator @DavidPocock. (Details are available from the Dynamic Red https://t.co/Wi8bN9WhfW)@AboutTheHouse will now consider the #Senate‘s amendments
— Australian Senate (@AuSenate) September 8, 2022
“The passage of the Climate Change legislation sends a message to the world that Australia is serious about driving down emissions, and serious about reaping the economic opportunities from affordable renewable energy,” Bowen said.
“Legislating these targets gives certainty to investors and participants in the energy market and will help stabilise our energy system.
“It also strengthens transparency and accountability through the annual climate change statement and will ensure public debate informs government decisions.”
Is everyone happy?
rofessorial fellow at the University of Canberra, reported previously, it was all but assured the Labor government would have its Climate Change Bill passed (with the support of the Greens but not the Coalition). In fact, the Liberal senators that are part of the Environment Committee made a note in the report to reaffirm their opposition.
“Coalition Senators believe that this legislation will invite green activists to abuse our legal system for political purposes, challenging what they class as high emissions projects,” they wrote. They also wanted the government to engage in a serious conversation around nuclear energy.
It was a similar story for their Nationals pals, asking the Senate to not pass the Bills.
The Australian Greens, meanwhile, want the insertion of a clause that no new coal, oil and gas projects can proceed and that a climate trigger should be legislated by the Parliament and for the government to sign up to the Global Methane Pledge. They also want the government to lift national targets to 75 per cent by 2030 and net zero by 2035 to align with 1.5 degrees of warming, as well as asking that the Renewable Energy (Electricity) Act 2000 be amended to ensure that native forests cannot be burned as a ‘renewable’ energy source.
After that, the Greens said, they were happy for the Bill to pass.
We’ll keep this article updated with the Climate Change Bill’s movements as we learn more. Either way, Bowen reckons the Bill will “end climate and energy chaos” and at the very least, it’s a start.
This article has been updated since it was first published.