Australia at risk of falling short of 2030 renewable energy target: Climate Change Authority

Sydney, June 5 (IANS/GURPUNEET SIDHU):- The head of the Australian government’s top climate change advisory body has warned that the country is facing a shortfall on its 2030 renewable energy target.

Matt Kean, the chair of the Climate Change Authority (CCA), said in a speech on Wednesday night that the federal government may fail to achieve its goal of 82 per cent of Australia’s electricity coming from renewable sources by 2030.

The governing Labor Party committed to the renewable target in 2022, the same year it set a 2030 emissions reduction target of at least 43 per cent from 2005 levels, reports Xinhua news agency.

Kean, who has served as CCA chair since August 2024, said that Australia could fall short of the target by the equivalent of 10 gigawatts (GW) worth of renewable generation capacity.

“Given we need to add about 6 GW a year of solar or wind farms to 2030, such a projected shortfall is sizable,” he said in a keynote address at the Australian Museum in Sydney.

He said that progress could be accelerated by supporting household solar and speeding up approvals for large-scale renewable and transition projects.

Formerly the treasurer of the state of New South Wales, Kean used the speech to urge politicians who aim to “prolong the life” of fossil fuel industries to “get out of the way.”

“Stop holding our country back and stop holding your political parties back. Try acting in the national interest, or take the low road to political oblivion,” he said.

The CCA is currently preparing advice for the government on Australia’s 2035 emissions reduction target.

Under Australian law, the government cannot set a 2035 target without advice from the CCA.

An initial assessment by the agency released in April 2024 found that a cut of between 65-75 per cent from 2005 levels by 2035 would be ambitious and achievable.

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