Tasmania to legislate 2030 net zero emissions target as part of climate change plan

Premier Peter Gutwein will make the announcement on Wednesday, which locks the state into maintaining net zero - a target it has already met six out of the last seven years due to significant reductions in emissions from forestry and land use from 2013.

The government will also release its draft changes to the Climate Change Act for public consultation for five weeks.

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It follows on from the June release of a review into the Act, carried out by consultant Jacobs Australia, which made seven recommendations including net zero from 2030.

The government will accept two in principle - establishing a set of principles to guide climate action, and including the consideration of climate change in the development of relevant government policies, plans and strategies.

The other five will be accepted in full, which includes the development of a Climate Action Plan as a statutory requirement, the five-yearly assessment of climate risk and sector-based decarbonisation plans.

In the Jacbos review, sector-based decarbonisation and resilience plans were recommended for energy, transport, agriculture and industrial sectors.

Mr Gutwein last month outlined "challenges" in regards to reducing emissions to net zero for transport due to the unavailability of hydrogen-powered trucks and buses, but that the government's car fleet would be transitioned to electric by 2030.

He said that agricultural emissions were net zero "based on the 1990 baseline", and that waste was significantly below that baseline.

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In the net zero announcement, Mr Gutwein said the government's plan to accept in full, or at least in-principle, the recommendations from the review would be a positive step.

"In doing so, the Tasmanian Government is responding to the clear message, heard throughout the review, that we can afford to take more ambitious action on climate change," he said.

"The Tasmanian Government recognises that taking action to reduce emissions in our economy and planning for Tasmania's future will not only address climate change, it will also improve environmental, social and health outcomes for future generations.

"And if the rest of the world takes strong action to reduce emissions, then the worst impacts of climate change can be avoided."

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