A world-leading climate change expert has urged Tasmania to take the next step in addressing greenhouse gas emissions by fully electrifying its ground transport.
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A researcher at the Australian National University and member of the Australian Climate Council, Professor Will Steffen’s comments come after it was revealed on Thursday that Tasmania had become the first jurisdiction in the country to produce zero net greenhouse gas emissions.
The report from the Tasmanian Climate Change Office, an arm of the Department of Premier and Cabinet, utilised data from 2015-16.
The state’s total greenhouse gas emissions in 2015-16 were -0.01 mega-tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, a 100 per cent reduction on the 1989-90 baseline.
The biggest reduction in emissions was recorded in the forestry sector, which has gone from being a major source of emissions at 10.83 mega-tonnes of CO2 equivalent in ‘89-’90 to -8.05 mega-tonnes in 2015-16.
Professor Steffen said Tasmania’s milestone was “a pretty good achievement”, but said he was not surprised that the state became the first jurisdiction to record zero net emissions.
“What’s given Tassie the jump up on other jurisdictions, obviously, is a very, very high percentage of electricity from renewables, from hydro,” he said.
“So they have a huge advantage over other states.”
Professor Steffen said the next step for Tasmania would be to “vigorously promote” electric vehicles.
“Electrifying their ground transport would be the next stage [for Tasmania], going into electric vehicles, perhaps hydrogen vehicles,” he said.
Professor Steffen noted that the ACT had mandated all new apartment blocks in the territory to include charging stations for electric vehicles and encouraged Tasmania to do the same.
A key target of the Tasmanian government’s Climate Change Action Plan 2017-21 is to support the uptake of electric vehicles in the state.