The latest update to future greenhouse gas emissions projections for all sectors of the NSW economy reveals how the state is currently tracking toward net zero targets for 2030 and 2035.
Providing accurate tracking and forecasting of emissions across NSW is vital to understanding our progress toward legislated net zero targets across every sector of the NSW economy. The information, published on the NSW Net Zero Emissions Dashboard, is consistent with last year’s update, showing more work is needed to reduce emissions to meet the targets.
What does the dashboard show?
The latest modelling from the NSW Government incorporates the reported emissions published by the Australian Government and future scenarios considering market trends and current policies. The business-as-usual scenario helps us understand the extra effort required to meet emissions reduction targets while the current policy scenario shows how NSW is currently tracking.
The dashboard shows sector and subsector emissions from 1990-2050 in megatonnes of CO2 -e (million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent). This update features the latest modelling for agriculture, electricity generation, industrial processes, fugitive emissions, stationary energy, land use, transport, and waste sectors.
What are the net zero targets?
The Climate Change (Net Zero Future) Act 2023 legislates NSW’s ambitious approach to addressing climate change by setting greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets of:
- 50% reduction on 2005 levels by 2030
- 70% reduction on 2005 levels by 2035
- net zero by 2050.
How are NSW emissions tracking?
Under the current policy scenario, more work may be needed to meet our emission reduction targets, with NSW projected to be 46% below 2005 levels by 2030, and 62% by 2035.
Emissions projections are recalculated each year to reflect the latest inventory data available at the time of modelling and evolving policies, initiatives, and market trends. Some of the key considerations include the timing of coal generator closures, electrification in energy industries, the projected sale of electric vehicles, and land use changes.
What’s next?
There are many opportunities to reduce emissions across every sector and get back on track for our net zero targets. The Net Zero Plan is the NSW Government’s approach to protecting our future by growing the economy, creating jobs and reducing emissions over the next decade with several strategies and grants to support industries realise new opportunities.
By modelling the state’s emissions over time, we can track our progress and prioritise actions with the most impact.
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