THE Federal Government’s ‘Plan to Deliver Net Zero’ modelling, released this afternoon, is riddled with flaws; most notably, a failure to meet its own goal of net zero emissions by 2050. 

Climate Council Senior Researcher Tim Baxter, who analysed the modelling, said: “it may as well have been written in crayon”.

“The most striking thing about this modelling is that it predicts the government won’t reach its own net zero by 2050 goal,” he said.

“This is pure spin. A document that has the singular purpose of attempting to legitimise the Federal Government’s do-nothing approach. 

“If this wasn’t so serious, it would be laughable but this modelling doesn’t even consider climate impacts on our economy. It assumes a heroic performance from the federal government’s pet technologies, without interrogating a single one of these wild assumptions. It downplays the potential of all other alternatives at every opportunity. 

“This modelling is underpinned by a 2℃ scenario under which we lose the Great Barrier Reef and 64,000 Queensland jobs that rely on its survival.

“At COP26 in Glasgow, our Pacific Island neighbours have been mobilising around the mantra of ‘1.5 to stay alive’. Our federal government is banking on higher temperatures that will harm more Australians as well as communities all over the world.”

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