THE region’s peak environmental group has called on the next federal government to adopt hard targets for greenhouse gas emissions and energy from renewable sources and a range of measures to improve energy efficiency and speed the adoption of renewable energy. According to Central Victorian Greehnouse Alliance chairman Dr Ian MacBean, the post-election government must set an emissions target which “matches the scale of the challenge”. “The science is telling us that we need to stabilise the level of carbon dioxide at 450 parts per million if we are to have a 50 per cent chance of avoiding catastrophic climate change,” he said. “The recent reports of the Arctic summer ice reducing in size by 22 per cent in two years have taken everyone by surprise. “With the current rate of increase in emissions, we have a maximum of 10 years to have even half a chance of maintaining a healthy environment for both humans and other species.” Dr MacBean said the next government needed to adopt and enforce the targets of a 30 per cent reduction by 2010 and 100 per cent by 2020. “We need to sign on to Kyoto and subsequent international agreements to enable Australia to benefit from global carbon trading,” he said. “In addition, increasing renewable energy targets would provide certainty for renewable energy investors, and we need substantial changes to federal regulations, incentives, investment and information. “These would support and generate development and uptake of renewable energy and energy efficiency initiatives.”
