Posts filed under ‘Just Transition’
Submission: Setting Victoria’s climate targets for 2025 and 2030
Submission on Victorian Climate Targets
Executive Summary
We appreciate the opportunity to comment on the recommended emissions targets for Victoria as contained in the Interim Emissions Reduction Targets for Victoria (2021-2030) report prepared by the Independent Expert Panel.
We argue that the science strongly indicates we have a climate crisis and that Victoria (and Australia) needs to declare a climate emergency, to focus resources on ambitious emissions reduction and climate adaptation.
While we appreciate the work of the expert panel, we think the recommended targets are still too low, even by their own assessment of the targets required to meet the 1.5C temperature target as contained in the Paris Agreement.
Reducing emissions needs to address equity issues, so we also call for transition programs that address equity, both on the local level and as part of addressing the problem globally. As a matter of global equity and justice Australia as a developed country should decarbonise faster than the many developing countries that need to address poverty and social issues and already have low carbon footprints.
We particularly highlight that the Expert panel failed to address the growth in aviation emissions as part of transport emissions, and the expansion of Melbourne’s airports which induces growth in these emissions. This is a difficult niche area to decarbonise, but the first step should be to stop airport expansion which will cap the growth in aviation and aviation emissions.
This submission (PDF) was a collaborative work by members of Climate Action Moreland and follows the suggested question survey for consultation.
John Englart
Convenor, Climate Action Moreland
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Just Transition: An Idea Whose Time has Finally Come?
Following the recent federal election, which suggested that the electorate is becoming more polarised about coal, everybody seems to be talking about “just transition”. Colin Long, the Just Transition Officer at Trades Hall, told us he has been inundated with calls. The National Union of Workers kicked off with a statement. The ABC is talking about it. Environment Victoria has released a blogpost, and has made it a focus of their Beyond Coal campaign. And some in Labor are talking about a Green New Deal.
Photo by Marc Kjerland / Flickr
Climate Action Moreland has long argued for just transition to be a key demand of the climate movement. But we need to do more. We can start by fleshing out what this means and how we should incorporate it into our campaigns.
