This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

Victoria has announced a plan to reduce its net carbon emissions to zero by 2050.

The move places Victoria at the head of the pack of states and territories, along with South Australia, which has the same 2050 target, and the ACT, which has other strong emissions and renewable energy targets. Victoria’s move could be more significant, though, since it contributed significantly more to Australia’s overall emissions.

After the recommendations of a review, the Labor state government announced it would legislate the targets by amending the Climate Change Act 2010.

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As part of the plan announced by the premier, Daniel Andrews, a “pledge program” called Take2 was also launched, where individuals, as well as government, business and community groups, were invited to pledge to play a role in reducing the state’s emissions to zero.

The Victorian government said it would make pledges in various sectors, including energy, agriculture and transport, in order to make an orderly transition to a low-carbon economy.

“Updating our laws and introducing a target to reduce emissions in Victoria will ensure we take advantage of the new jobs and economic opportunities created by renewable energy,” Andrews said.

Cam Walker, the campaigns director of Friends of the Earth Australia, welcomed the move but said final judgment would be reserved until several other key policies were announced, including the Victorian renewable energy target, the coal policy and the fracking policy. The interim targets for 2020 and beyond would also be essential for judging the value of the plan, Walker said.

“Taken collectively, that will give us a meaningful sense of where they are going with all this,” Walker said.

“Today is not an endpoint but it is a significant point along the way. It’s the first time the premier has fronted the issue of climate change and really owned it.”

Environment Victoria also welcomed the announcement. “Setting a clear target for reaching zero climate pollution provides a strong signal for all future government and business decisions,” Environment Victoria’s chief executive, Mark Wakeham, said. “We need to reach this target as quickly as possible.”

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He said although 2050 was some time away, it had implications for actions today. “Pursuing new coal or gas projects is inconsistent with a plan to decarbonise the economy,” he said. “Instead we need to embrace our renewable energy resources.”

The Victorian Greens said the announcement set targets too far in the future and failed to make targets compulsory or set a policy to phase out coal.

“If Labor is serious about climate change, they shouldn’t just announce they will maybe do something by 2050,” the Greens’ environment spokeswoman, Ellen Sandell, said. “They must urgently phase out coal and set a strong renewable energy target now.”