The Minister for Environment and Climate Change tabled the Northern Territory’s climate change response annual progress report on 22 September.
The Northern Territory Government’s climate change response establishes four policy objectives:
- net zero emissions by 2050
- a resilient Territory
- opportunities from a low carbon future
- inform and involve all Territorians.
During the past 12 months, the Territory Government has been building the policy foundations for sustained action to decarbonise our economy, including:
- the release of the electric vehicles strategy
- release of the greenhouse gas emissions management for new and expanding large emitters policy
- release of a draft greenhouse gas emissions offsets policy for public comment
- continued delivery of the hugely successful Home and Business Battery Scheme
- $2.3 million towards the remote power system strategy - this is made up of a number of different components, with the government working over the next two years to commence the necessary work to ensure the strategy addresses future energy demands and realises community benefits
- setting a standard of building efficiency for new builds with a tender awarded for the study of section J in the building code
- continuing to work with the Australian Government to deliver the energy and emissions bilateral agreement.
The Territory Government is completing a project to calculate its own greenhouse gas emissions with the intent of becoming carbon neutral by 2030, with a tender awarded early this year for this work. This project falls under action 1.5.1 of the Territory Government’s climate change response three-year action plan.
Separately, the Territory Government has engaged experts to assist in understanding our trajectory towards net zero emissions by 2050, under a range of modelled scenarios. This work will inform development of the emissions reduction strategy for the Territory, due to be finalised in 2022.