photo of the earth outlined in black. Clouds floating across front." width="" height="" />
More Australians mentioned climate change as their number one issue than any other topic, according to Vote Compass data.
With the federal election campaign underway, many are seeking answers on what policies each party has for one of the most pressing issues of our time.
And with the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report revealing the likelihood of temperatures rising 1.5 degrees Celsius, it's not difficult to see why.
Here, we break down the policies of the major parties: the Coalition, Labor and Greens.
An important note: Action to prevent climate change isn't restricted to one policy and usually crosses multiple departments, but one of the key platforms is each party's commitment to net zero and its plans for reaching that.
The Coalition has committed to net zero emissions by 2050. This means that by 2050, the amount of carbon dioxide Australia is removing from the atmosphere will have to be the same as, or more than, the amount it is emitting.
It all comes down to balancing the scales between the amount of carbon dioxide put into the environment, and the amount taken out.
How does it plan to do this? Prime Minister Scott Morrison has taken a "technology over taxes" approach, saying Australia will get to net zero by investing more than $20 billion in "low emissions technologies" in the next decade.
The Coalition also plans to invest in electronic vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure and has incentives for business fleets to switch to EVs.
However, it has not committed to changing its 2030 target of a 26-28 per cent cut in emissions.
The reason? The government says Australia is on track to cut emissions by 30 to 35 per cent by then.
To reach net zero, the party plans to:
Leader Anthony Albanese has insisted Labor's plan would create more than 600,000 new jobs, cut power prices by $275 a year per household by 2025, and boost private investment.
In releasing Labor's Powering Australia plan, Mr Albanese said its investments would cost $683 million.
Greens leader Adam Bandt and his party want to phase out coal and gas completely and switch to 100 per cent renewable energy usage as soon as possible.
What do you want to know about the upcoming election? How will it impact you? Do you have a story you want to share? Tell us more.
How do they plan to do this? The Greens want to:
The party says it would fund its climate change measures by taxing big corporations.
Under that proposal, a company with a turnover of more than $100 million would face a 40 per cent super-profits tax
Earlier this year, the Greens also proposed a $40 billion renationalisation of Australia's electricity sector, which would see all coal and gas-fired power plants phased out by 2030.
Posted Fri 22 Apr 2022 at 5:06am Friday 22 Apr 2022 at 5:06am Fri 22 Apr 2022 at 5:06am , updated Tue 3 May 2022 at 4:23am Tuesday 3 May 2022 at 4:23am Tue 3 May 2022 at 4:23am
