Tasmania may set a more ambitious greenhouse gas emissions target off the back achieving zero net emissions for the fourth year in a row.
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Premier and Climate Change Minister Peter Gutwein told the Parliament on Thursday the latest State and Territory Greenhouse Gas Inventories showed Tasmania emitted negative 2.19 megatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents in 2018.
"In coming months we will strengthen our legislative framework, develop and consult on our next whole-of-government climate change action plan, and review future emissions to determine if we can set an even more ambitious target, driving investment and job creation," Mr Gutwein said.
Mr Gutwein said Tasmania's 2018 emissions profile was 111 per cent lower than the state's 1990 baseline emissions of 20.10 megatonnes.
"For illustrative purposes, the reduction is equivalent to offsetting the emissions from around 470,000 cars," he said.
In other news:
"This globally significant achievement reflects the carbon sink in our forests and our enviable renewable energy profile highlights our unique opportunity to lead Australia's transition to a low-emissions economy."
While the Premier was speaking, Greens leader Cassy O'Connor interjected "it's amazing what forests do."
Meanwhile, Ms O'Connor questioned Resources Minister Guy Barnett about if there had been an escalation in native forest logging, with 19 extra coupes set aside to be logged by Sustainable Timbers Tasmania under a three year deal which expires on July 1, 2020.
"A number of those 19 coupes are of high conservation value. All of them are critical carbon stores," Ms O'Connor said.
"We have received information that a coupe was snuck in less than a month ago will be logged shortly.
"In a climate and extinction crisis there is no environmental or social reason to justify the covert addition of these 19 carbon stores to be clear-felled and burned."
Speaking outside Parliament, Ms O'Connor said this was happening at a time when the Premier and Minister for Climate Change [Mr Gutwein] had changed his language and was talking about forests as a carbon bank, not a wood bank.
Mr Barnett said there was no legislative requirement for STT to notify the Forest Practices Authority if adding or subtracting a coupe under the Three Year Wood Production Plan.
"Additional coupes can be added to STT's harvest plan after the production of a [plan] where there are specific economic, social or environmental reasons for doing so," Mr Barnett said.
"An example for all to hear, bushfires had an impact on the [plan]."
Ms O'Connor also questioned if any agreements were struck with Chinese pulp and paper companies by Mr Barnett during a trade delegation to China last December.
Mr Barnett said no new woodchip contracts had been signed.
"Woodchip volumes have not increased and the trade mission will result in no new native forest harvesting specifically to supply woodchips to China," he said.
"Our native forests are harvested primarily for high-end timber that is used for construction, for furniture, kitchen benches, floorboards and even the timber in this House."