All Australian state and territory governments are now committed to net zero emissions by 2050 or earlier. These commitments cover all emissions produced within Australia’s borders. The majority of states and territories have also set interim emissions targets. Current state and territory interim targets combined translate to an estimated 37-42 per cent reduction on 2005 emissions Australia-wide by 2030. While this is short of what is needed, it is higher than Australia’s Paris commitment for 2030 of 26-28 per cent below 2005 levels.

ClimateWorks has analysed the targets, policies and programs that have been announced by Australian states and territories since the start of 2020 – the decade of action. States and territories have allocated billions of dollars of funding to emissions reduction measures, and have also made significant and inventive regulatory and legislative changes.

The policies and programs detailed in this report demonstrate accelerated momentum in state and territory climate policy. They also show how much more can and needs to be achieved in Australia. The window for keeping global temperature rise to below 1.5 degrees Celsius is narrowing, but the goal is still possible if ambitious benchmarks of progress are met this decade (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [IPCC] 2021).