The Government Is Strongly Committed to Reducing Australia's Carbon Pollution

The Government is strongly committed to reducing Australia's carbon pollution.

If Australia takes no action by 2020 our carbon pollution could be 20 per cent higher than in 2000, not 5 to 25 per cent lower as the Government intends. The Government's targets are equivalent to a reduction in every Australian's carbon footprint of nearly one third to one half. To help achieve our ambitious target of lowering these emissions to up to 25 per cent below 2000 levels, the Australian Government is developing and putting in place the policies we need: to support Australian businesses and households reduce their carbon pollution, to create the new green-collar jobs of the future and to transform our economy.

The Australian Government believes the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS) is the cheapest and most effective way of tackling climate change and is committed to the bipartisan emissions reductions targets. However, due to a lack of bipartisan support on the CPRS, combined with slow progress on reaching a credible global agreement to limit carbon emissions, the Government has delayed the introduction of the CPRS.

In the short term the Government will boost existing investments in clean and renewable energy and support greater energy efficiency measures in order to bring down greenhouse gas emissions.

Investing in clean energy

The Australian Government is investing