Tasmania is one of the few jurisdictions around the world that currently removes more carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2-e) from the atmosphere than it emits. However, this does not mean that we shouldn’t work to reduce our absolute emissions. Tasmania’s primary challenges include decreasing our reliance on fossil fuels, including through the development of sustainably and ethically sourced fossil fuel replacements and scaling up renewable energy generation for use on-island.
Despite Tasmania’s strong position, decarbonisation will not be easy. Increasing renewable generation and transmission while upscaling new, green industries will entail many challenges, from sourcing specialist workers to managing community concerns about impacts on local biodiversity, agriculture, housing, health outcomes, and visual amenity. The TPE is committed to helping Tasmania to harness the benefits of the transition and mitigate its inevitable challenges.
Our work in this area includes:
- Annual progress reports on Tasmania’s greenhouse gas emissions
- Research into the options for reducing Tasmanian’s sectoral carbon emissions
- Convening a workshop of national experts to improve the reporting of Australia’s bushfire emissions
- Producing a vision for a climate-positive Tasmania
- Preparing submissions to Tasmanian Government reviews and draft plans for the State’s renewable energy future and climate action strategies.