Australia released a double report on decarbonization and emission reduction, paving the way for zero emissions in the future

On March 16 and 20, 2015, the Australian Climate Research Institute (Climate Institute) released two reports, which made recommendations for reviewing Australia's future emission reduction targets and elements to consider in the formulation of a decarbonization strategy.

The first report, entitled "submission of Review of Australia's Future Emission reduction targets to the Australian Climate change Agency (Submission to CCA's Special Review on Australia's Future Emissions Reductions Targets), states that the Climate Research Institute supports the previous recommendation of the Climate change Bureau that Australia should set coordinated short-term and long-term targets based on the 2010-2050 carbon budget to make an equitable contribution to limiting global warming to 2 degrees Celsius. The main conclusions of the report include:

(1) carbon budget is the core of keeping policy formulation stable and effective. The formulation and use of carbon budgets should be guided by risk management principles.

(2) Australia's climate change policy lacks long-term vision. In order to meet the 2 ℃ target, the ultimate or strategic goal of climate policy is to gradually reduce carbon emissions to zero or achieve decarbonization. In the end, only policies in line with the decarbonization strategy will provide a stable and sustainable platform for long-term investment.

(3) the Climate change Bureau should clearly distinguish between national emission reduction targets and other industry-related policies. Australia's level of emission reduction after 2020 should not be constrained by its costs or benefits to specific economic sectors.

(4) the Climate change Bureau should clearly consider the economic, environmental and social risks arising from achieving the 5% emission reduction target, including gradually lagging behind similar countries, and increasing efforts to achieve the 2 ℃ target trajectory in the future.

(5) the Lima Climate Action Initiative outlines key indicators and expectations for national emission reduction contributions after 2020. By setting high standards of national emissions reduction targets, Australia is expected to be in a position similar to that of other countries, which is essential to encourage ambitious, transparent and responsible behaviour in emerging economies.

The second report, entitled "National decarbonization Strategy for Economic Prosperity in a Zero emissions World" (Going for Zero:State Decarbonisation Strategies for Prosperity in a Zero-Emission World), points out that the main elements to be considered in Australia in formulating a decarbonization strategy include:

(1) setting binding emission caps for major emission facilities. At present, Australia's emission-intensive facilities have no obligation to reduce emissions at the national level, and national regulators can require major emitters to reduce emissions through direct regulation or based on market mechanisms. When selecting appropriate measures, consideration should be given to their timeliness, scope of application and their role in strengthening national policies. The government should set emission limits for major emission facilities consistent with achieving zero emission targets by 2050, and study the advantages and disadvantages of emissions trading, regulatory standards and their combination in achieving emission limits.

(2) incorporate the costs and benefits of CO2 emission reduction into the policy and planning process. The government should take the following measures: (1) to account for all types of emissions, use emissions and their costs as indicators to assess the advantages and disadvantages of different schemes; (2) to eliminate unfair restrictions on clean energy and low emissions and zero-emission development; (3) to comprehensively consider the costs and benefits of emission reduction in policy evaluation and project approval; (4) to require the development of major states and regions to meet best practices in energy and water use. 5 ensure that privatization transactions do not pose obstacles to decarbonization and emission reduction; 6 consider exposure in key climate change scenarios in the project approval assessment.

(III) use management policies to establish markets for low-emission goods and services. Governments should take the following measures: (1) to consider the long-term benefits of emission reductions in procurement and management policies; (2) to include key performance indicators (KPIs) in energy management in relevant senior management contracts (SES); and (3) to consider requiring major infrastructure to ensure a minimum share of clean energy power generation.

(IV) continue to develop and link energy efficiency policy frameworks. The government should take the following measures: (1) to formulate an energy efficiency strategy and make full use of the possible contribution of energy conservation opportunities to long-term decarbonization; (2) to coordinate energy efficiency policies in front-line practice; (3) to continuously support the improvement of national energy efficiency standards; and (4) to improve systems in which energy efficiency standards can be strictly observed.

(v) provide assistance in various forms. The government could consider the following measures: (1) to directly fund the research, development and commercialization of new technologies; (2) to make management easier to implement by simplifying the planning and approval process; (3) to establish professions specializing in decarbonization; and (4) to encourage the timely training of skilled labour.