Australia is at a ‘critical juncture in its transition to a low-emissions future’, the country’s Climate Change Authority (CCA) has said, as it published its fourth Annual Progress Report.
The CCA, am independent statutory body responsible for providing independent advice to Australia’s government on climate change policy, said in its report that while the country’s making progress on emissions reduction, ‘more is needed’ to achieve its targets and adaptation needs.
In particular, in order to meet the planned 62% to 70% reduction in emissions by 2035 (compared to 2005 levels), the rate of reductions needs to double between now and the end of the decade, and triple in the period from 2030 to 2035.
Fall in emissions
“Australia’s emissions fell by 10 million tonnes of carbon-dioxide equivalent in the year to June 2025, faster than the average over the past five years of 8 Mt CO2-e reductions,” commented Matt Kean, chair of the Climate Change Authority. “No other year has had such a drop apart from the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic – 10 million [is] tonnes a promising development.
“However, to hit our goals, the reduction rate will have to accelerate to 18 MtCO2-e per year between now and 2030, and between 20-25 Mt CO2-e per year from now to 2035. That means speeding up approvals for clean energy projects and infrastructure to keep pace with the transition.”
Electricity and energy
The biggest gains in emissions reduction were seen in the electricity and energy sectors, which are set to accelerate further once more renewable energy sources are ‘switched on’, the CCA said.
This also improves the prospects for other sectors to decarbonise as they switch to electrification.
“The technological tide is overwhelming, with low-carbon generation contributing almost all the new energy generation added worldwide last year,” Kean added.
The CCA has made several recommendations for priority action on emissions reduction, including streamlining approvals for renewable energy projects; extending the country’s capacity investment scheme; installing technologies to maintain the security of the electricity grid; ensuring regional communities can benefit from clean energy projects; taking steps to reduce methane emissions; and partnering with investors to ‘help communities and businesses build resilience’. Read more here.
