What has worked to progress action on climate in Australia are bold ideas that people can understand and get excited by
Note to politicians: voters will back in your energy plans if they understand them and they meet the scale of the problem.
For decades, the major parties have tried and failed to credibly deal with climate change. Various policies became acronyms that people did not really understand. There has been the CPRS, the carbon price, an EIS, CET and most recently the Neg.
Time and again they’ve failed to capture our imagination. Clearly it’s time for a new game plan.
What has worked to progress action on climate in Australia are bold ideas that people can understand, get excited by, that answer the scale of the problem and that affect their lives.
Think all parties commiting to 100% renewables in the ACT, Victorian premier Dan Andrews’ announcement to support 900MWs of new large-scale renewables or former South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill’s support for 50,000 renters to access solar through a Virtual Power Plant, or even the federal Renewable Energy Target.
We need to learn from this success. Here are five big ideas to get started.For decades, the major parties have tried and failed to credibly deal with climate change. Various policies became acronyms that people did not really understand. There has been the CPRS, the carbon price, an EIS, CET and most recently the Neg.
Time and again they’ve failed to capture our imagination. Clearly it’s time for a new game plan.
What has worked to progress action on climate in Australia are bold ideas that people can understand, get excited by, that answer the scale of the problem and that affect their lives.
Think all parties commiting to 100% renewables in the ACT, Victorian premier Dan Andrews’ announcement to support 900MWs of new large-scale renewables or former South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill’s support for 50,000 renters to access solar through a Virtual Power Plant, or even the federal Renewable Energy Target.
1. Make Australia a renewable superpower. Australia has some of the best renewable resources in the world. These resources present a huge economic opportunity. We can export excess renewables to the world through creating renewable hydrogen, building big transmission lines to Asia and creating and exporting sun-powered products. Already South Australia’s renewable resources have led British billionaire Sanjeev Gupta to purchase Arium Steel in Whyalla with a vision for low-carbon steel.
2. Affordable clean energy for all.More than 1.8 million Australian households have solar on their roof. Last month was the biggest month for solar installations on record and there are now more than 100 community groups building and running their own clean energy projects. Why should the 30% of people who rent, live in apartments, or have shaded roofs miss out?
Helping those locked out of getting solar on their roof, financing remote communities to move to solar and helping more community groups build clean energy is more than affordable.
3. Just transitions. People working in the coal industry can be retrained and the sooner we start, the better. We know the business case for coal is already failing, we can no longer justify ignoring it until the last minute. Our coal fired power stations are old, they are dirty and they are breaking down when the weather gets hot, as it increasingly will as climate change gets worse. A proactive approach like establishing a Transition Authority would ensure that coal communities are not left behind as we transition away from coal power.
4. Air pollution laws with teeth. Coal power stations are not just Australia’s biggest domestic source of climate pollution they are also our biggest source of air pollution. The fine particle pollution they pump out contribute to health problems such as of heart attacks, strokes, asthma, lung cancer, and other respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. Currently our air pollution standards are lower than both China and the US. This must change.
The good news is the new generation of nature laws that many organisations are campaigning for could be expanded to better control air pollution federally. This would involve additional and adequate monitoring, establishing an Independent Commission to set national air pollution standards and a Federal EPA to strongly enforce non-compliance.
5. Jump off the “solar-coaster”. Our ride to powering our homes and businesses with 100% renewable energy doesn’t have to be as bumpy as it’s been. A next term of government clean energy target would ensure that the current renewables boom continues. Australia has repeatedly shown it can smash renewables targets faster and cheaper than anyone predicted. Maintaining current levels of investment and jobs is the minimum any government serious about renewable energy should commit to.
Ten studies from leading energy industry experts such as the Australian Energy Market Operator, the University of New South Wales, UTS and Csiro all show that Australia can be powered with 100% renewable energy and have affordable reliable power.
Now that wind and solar are cheaper to build than fossil fuels, it’s time to get serious about plugging the gaps so we can move to this reliable 100% renewable electricity system. That means pumped hydro, battery storage, concentrating solar thermal, sustainable bioenergy and demand response. We are starting to talk about these solutions, but a more concerted policy approach is needed.
With a growing number of Australians concerned about climate and supporting for renewables a a political party that embraces these big ideas is likely to have a winning game plan.
- Nicky Ison is a research associate at the Institute for Sustainable Futures at the University of Technology Sydney and co-founder of the Community Power Agency.
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