Groups give practical recommendations to address climate change
Western Australian (WA) businesses supported the Federal Government’s formalization of a new 2030 target for Australia of 43% emission reduction, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Western Australia (CCIWA) said.
To address climate change, the CCIWA released a position statement on 28 June that supported the new Federal Government’s target of 43% emission reduction by 2030 and Australia’s “net-zero” emissions by 2050.
“The business community recognises the urgent need to lower emissions to minimise the effects of climate change, and that they will need to adapt to the extreme weather events that are increasingly likely given current emissions in the atmosphere,” the CCIWA said.
Actions to take remain uncertain
Chris Rodwell, CCIWA CEO, said that throughout the organization’s position statement, it was obvious that many WA Businesses were committed to acting on climate change and reducing emissions.
However, Rodwell said that despite the support of the business sector, there is still a high level of uncertainty about the practical steps these groups should take.
“WA’s SMEs will need advice, support and resources to prepare and undertake this transformation,” he said.
Rodwell further said that the critical challenge of climate change is “particularly complex” given the WA’s emissions-intensive economy focused on producing energy, minerals, and primary industry produce.
“Yet through this process, both regional and metropolitan businesses expressed a strong commitment to action and a willingness to bear higher energy prices without any sacrifice in reliability, in order to pursue responsible emissions reduction targets,” he said. “CCIWA is confident that a bright future of diverse industries, sustainable jobs, and further prosperity is within WA’s reach.”
‘Practical recommendations’
To achieve the targets to help mitigate and adapt to climate change, the CCIWA listed proposals for the government such as:
- Strengthen existing mechanisms such as the Emissions Reduction Fund, the Safeguard Mechanism, and the Secondary Carbon Credit Market
- Align State and national targets, with the Federal Government taking the lead
- Broaden the national and State-based migration programs and train up the local workforce to deliver an energy transition
- Establish an independent advisory body on climate change, with cross-sectoral business representation in its membership
- Continue to reduce barriers that slow down access to land and enable infrastructure.
The CCWIA made its position statement to define its expectations of the WA business community on climate action and list recommendations for the State and Federal governments.
Given WA’s energy-intense and trade-dependent economy, the latter is particularly vulnerable to environmental changes. Thus, it was only imperative for the business community to respond to climate change mitigation and adaptation, the CCIWA said.
“CCIWA is confident that a bright future of diverse industries, sustainable jobs and further prosperity is within WA’s reach,” Rodwell said.
