The Greens recognise that we are currently heading towards a climate catastrophe. Our planet is warming, sea levels are rising; we are living through hotter summers and more extreme weather events.
Drastic changes are required to mitigate this situation. We must ensure that our economic future is clean and green or face a very uncertain future. The Greens maintain that it makes economic sense to act now. The coal industry is in structural decline. Coal exports are declining and the world is shifting towards clean energy. As one of the sunniest and windiest countries in the world, Australia can lead the transition to a clean energy future.
The Greens have developed a plan for a clean energy economy which will secure the benefits of lower prices, more efficiency, more jobs and significant export opportunities for innovative technologies and services developed and produced in Australia.
The Greens plan will:
- Ensure that energy generation is at least 90% renewable by 2030 and our energy efficiency is doubled.
- Establish a new $500 million government authority – Renew Australia– tasked with planning and driving the transition to a new clean energy system to leverage $5 billion of construction in new energy generation over the next four years.
- Create a $250 million Clean Energy Transition Fund to assist coal workers and communities with the transition.
- Implement pollution intensity standards to enable the gradual, staged closure of coal fired power stations, starting with Australia’s dirtiest — Hazelwood.
Read the Greens plan: Australia Greens Renew Australia Plan
In NSW the Greens NSW have a plan to move to 100% renewable energy by 2030.
More information about our campaign here NSW 100% Renewable Energy Plan
and our policy here Greens NSW – Energy Policy
Other advocacy, policy and research groups have also produced important reports relating to the move to renewable energy. The Greens do not necessarily endorse the content of these reports but we provide them as interesting background:
A Switch in Time:Enabling the electricity sector’s transition to net zero emissions
April 2016
The Climate Institute describes itself as Australia’s leading climate policy and advocacy specialist. It commissioned research to test the ability of policy options currently under discussion to reduce electricity emissions in line with the Paris commitment to limit global warming to 1.5 – 2 degrees. It concludes with recommendations to guide future policy development.
Read the policy brief: http://www.climateinstitute.org.au/verve/_resources/TCI_A-Switch-In-Time_Final.pdf
Homegrown Power Plan
April 2016
Advocacy groups, GetUp!, and Solar Citizens, have jointly developed a Homegrown Power Plan which shows how we can repower the country with 100% renewable power by 2030. Read their ideas on how to repower the country with renewable energy, reboot our failing electricity system and remove the roadblocks holding back the renewables boom:
Hone Grown Power Plan – Summary
Home Grown Power Plan – Full report
Decarbonising Australia’s Energy Sector within one generation
March 2016
GetUp! and Solar Citizens commissioned a team of researchers at the UTS Institute of Sustainable Futures to find out how fast Australia can clean up its energy system.
See the report:100% Australian Renewable Energy
A sustainable energy future for Australia
October 2015
A presentation was given by Dr Mark Diesendorf, Associate Professor of the Interdisciplinary Environmental Studies unit at the UNSW in October 2015. This presentation provides a readily accessible summary of the threats confronting the environment, recommends policy options for the future and includes great visuals containing not only the inevitable statistics, photos of alternative energy sources and some amusing cartoons getting the message across in a light-hearted way.
See: http://www.ieu.asn.au/media/168157/ieu_sustainableenergy_2015.pptx.reduced.pdf
Beyond Zero Emissions
BZE have produced a number of detailed reports proposing plans for a transition to a zero carbon Australia, including stationary energy, buildings and high speed rail. The latest report Renewable Energy Superpower, suggests an economic basis for a renewable energy future.
BZE – Beyond sustainable energy Superpower
Posted May 4 2016