CANBERRA – Australia could achieve an ambitious 75 per cent emissions reduction target by 2035, according to the government’s top climate advisory body.

In an assessment published on April 11, the Climate Change Authority (CCA) advised the government to target a 2035 emissions reduction target of 65 per cent to 75 per cent from 2005 levels.

CCA chief executive Brad Archer said that a 65 per cent to 75 per cent reduction target would be ambitious but could be achieved if additional action is taken by governments, businesses, investors and households.

“In developing our advice, we are looking at the latest science, economic data, technological developments, and the opportunities and impacts for Australians, including First Nations peoples and those in rural and regional areas,” he said in a media release.

Australia’s governing Labor Party has committed to cutting the country’s emissions by at least 43 per cent from 2005 levels by 2030 and commissioned the CCA to advise it on a 2035 target.

The nation’s three largest states, New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland, which together account for more than 75 per cent of Australia’s population, have already each set their own 2035 target of at least a 70 per cent cut from 2005.

Releasing its assessment, the CCA invited Australians to have their say on the national 2035 target.

“We also want to hear personal perspectives and experiences with climate change, and suggestions about how Australian governments can support the well-being of workers, communities and regions as the nation decarbonises,” Mr Archer said.

In addition to the 2035 target, the advisory body will also in 2024 advise the government on pathways for the electricity and energy, built environment, industry and waste, agriculture and land, resources, and transport sectors to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. XINHUA