"Decarbonising Queensland: Four pillars toward an inclusive and resilient low carbon economy"

"Decarbonising Queensland: Four pillars toward an inclusive and resilient low carbon economy"

This policy brief provides an assessment of key policy and technical issues, opportunities and options and provides recommendations to support Queensland Government in the design and delivery of the Queensland Climate Action Plan (QCAP) toward net-zero emissions.1 The findings herein are based on presentations and discussions by leading experts from Queensland universities at the Vice Chancellor's Queensland Decarbonisation Forum, 29 June 2022.

Context
Queensland Government has pledged to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 with interim 2030 targets of 50% renewable energy and 30% emissions reduction below 2005 levels by 2030. This challenge coincides with other policy drivers related to climate adaptation, the need for more effective use of water and the need to protect the Great Barrier Reef. In this policy environment, to transform and diversify Queensland's economy and work toward its climate targets, Queensland Government has introduced a portfolio of policies, sectoral and regional roadmaps and plans, and committed to significant investments such as a
$2 billion Renewable Energy and Hydrogen Jobs Fund, $500 million Land Restoration Fund, and New Economy Minerals initiative.

The challenge
Queensland's climate track record to date lags other Australian states. Queensland produces nearly one third of Australia's total annual net emissions (32%,2020), nearly a third of agricultural net emissions (27.4%) and generates the lowest rate of energy from renewables (19.6%, 2022). In the land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF) sector, while all states and the ACT are now net stores of carbon, Queensland's remains a significant source of net emissions.

These combined factors present a challenge for Queensland to achieve its 2030 interim targets and net zero emissions by 2050.
Achieving net zero means reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions predominantly from fossil fuels, and increasing long-term carbon stores such as forests, vegetation, soils, and aquatic environments, such that the net sum is equal to zero.The three key challenges to decarbonisation for Queensland are:
1. Energy reliance on thermal coal, with eight aging coal-fired power stations generating 80% of power and nearly half (45%) of emissions;
2. Economic reliance on resource exports, predominantly from extracting coal, coal seam gas and natural gas. These fossil fuels account for the majority of the resource sector's contribution of 11.7% to GDP, employment of 60,000 workers, 81% of
exports (2019-20), and around 30% of Queensland's scope 1 and 2 emissions from energy used in extraction, refinement and transport as well as fugitive emissions2 3 and
3. Broadscale land clearing of 2.4 million hectares total area between 2010-2018 that has reduced carbon stores, mostly due to a weakening of the Vegetation Management Act 1999 (Qld) in 2012.

Key takeaways and recommendations
In recognition of the strategy and actions being rolled out as part of QCAP, the following takeaways and recommendations are provided along four key pillars that are believed to be critical for a smoother, just, inclusive and in-time transition toward net zero