The Victorian government has promised to cut the state’s greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030, in an announcement of long-awaited climate targets that outstrip commitments made by the Morrison government. The plan, announced on Sunday, will see Victoria power all government-owned enterprises, including schools and hospitals, by renewables by 2025. The plan also includes $20m to reduce emissions in the agricultural sector, another $15.3m for a carbon farming program, and a $3,000 payment for Victorians who buy zero-emissions vehicles. The government said it planned to reduce emissions by 28-33% by 2025 and 45-50% by 2030 compared with 2005 levels, a move it said would put Victoria “at the forefront of Australia’s climate change action”. The announcement was welcomed as ambitious but sober by a major industry lobby group. Conservationists said it did not go far enough for the state to play its part in meeting science-based emissions reduction targets. In a statement, the government said Victoria was “already taking world-leading action to prevent the worst impacts of climate change”, as the first Australian state and one of the first jurisdictions in the world to legislate net zero emissions by 2050, with five yearly targets to make sure we […]
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