Climate Change Authority Sector Review report crystalises the need to focus on mature clean technologies today

PUBLIC STATEMENT

The Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE) has welcomed the Climate Change Authority Sector Pathways Review as a robust and pragmatic guide to support Australia’s current net zero targets.

ATSE agrees with the report’s penultimate assessment, that there is an urgent need to focus on deploying existing clean energy technologies at scale to reduce emissions and limit climate change to below 1.5 degrees Celsius. ATSE urges the Federal Government to make this a priority as it develops its Net Zero Plan.

Deploying mature zero and low emissions technologies, such as solar and wind for electricity generation and batteries for energy storage, are critical and low hanging fruit for decarbonising energy systems. The report also crystalises the opportunity to rapidly develop and commercialise emerging technologies, such as hydrogen, fugitive emission monitoring technologies and engineered carbon removal methods.

Decarbonising Australia’s electricity systems in this critical decade will address Australia’s greatest source of emissions and can catalyse electrification across other sectors. This was highlighted in ATSE’s submission to the Review.

As noted in the report, it will be critical to address barriers to the deployment of net zero infrastructure to meet our targets. This can be expedited by reviewing planning and approvals processes, coordinating and catalysing greater business engagement, fast-tracking the development of renewable energy zones, and supporting skills training and development.

Crucially, as highlighted by the report, to expedite ambitious emissions reductions, Federal and State Governments and businesses need to collaborate to address workforce shortages by diversifying and deploying a rapid skills program and enhancing workforce mobility. This is essential as aging fossil fuel installations are retired and new renewable infrastructure is developed and the clean energy skills gap grows.

ATSE, which represents over 900 of Australia’s leading engineers and applied scientists, looks forward to working with the Federal government to inform the upcoming Net Zero Plan and developing a whole of economy approach to reducing emissions.

Statement attributable to ATSE President, Dr Katherine Woodthorpe AO FTSE.