We must resist the temptation to go for a weak 2035 target and use the public consultation process to think creatively about how the net-zero transition can be both transformational and fair for all.
The 142 fossil fuel producers collectively exceeded the limits on coal, gas and oil production required to achieve the Paris Agreement goals by between 63% and 70%.
Reducing greenhouse gases is expensive, but it’s a great investment compared to the damage we can expect to the Canadian economy if the climate warms 5 C by 2100.
The recently released Emissions Reductions Plan aims to put Canada on track to reduce emissions by up to 45 per cent from 2005 and reach net-zero emissions by 2050. It will do neither.
Paul Burke, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University; Emma Aisbett, Australian National University, and Ken Baldwin, Australian National University
Australia could use about 7,000 terawatt-hours of solar and wind generation per annum to make a sizeable contribution to cutting global emissions – about 27 times its current electricity output.
As more companies feature wood and other bio-based products in their offices, what are opportunities and limitations of making corporate net-zero carbon pledges about building materials?
Peter Martin, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University
Greg Hunt is best known as Australia’s health minister. But before that he spent years thinking about mechanisms to get emissions down – and if elected, Labor plans to road test the one he introduced.
The Nationals have tried to link the UK energy crisis to its net-zero climate target. But as an expert advisor to the International Energy Agency tells us, the two are unrelated.
A growing number of countries and companies have pledged to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 or earlier. But there’s a catch – they still plan to keep emitting greenhouse gases.
Rather than considering the job done, Tasmania should seize opportunities including renewable energy, net-zero industrial exports and forest preservation.
Humanity can still limit global warming to 1.5°C this century. But political action will determine whether it actually does. Conflating the two questions amounts to dangerous, misplaced punditry.
In its decision, the Supreme Court of Canada recognized the gravity of climate change and upheld the idea that Parliament has the authority to act on matters of “peace, order and good government.”
Professor of Public Policy, Psychology and Behavioral Science, USC Sol Price School of Public Policy, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences