Emissions reduction is a fundamental and core component of any serious climate policy reform agenda. To achieve Australia’s current climate policy ambition of a 43% emissions reduction, Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen has slated a target of 82% renewables into the electricity grid by 2030 – he has publicly acknowledged that’s a mere 84 months.
Eighty-two percent renewables into an increasingly decarbonised grid is key to driving the broader market shifts and consumer sentiment across the economy needed to enable the energy and climate transition. Let’s take a moment to appreciate what that means for Australian society as we grasp the pathways ahead in realising this ambition.
While we pause at this juncture, let’s also realise the economy is nested within our social structures, which in turn are reliant on a well-functioning natural environment.