Alarm as Finocchiaro Government quietly abandons emissions targets

Environment Centre NT Media Release

The Environment Centre Northern Territory is alarmed that the Finocchiaro government has broken its election promise to voters by abandoning all climate emissions targets for the NT.

The Country Liberal Party (CLP) government has revealed it will not implement a 2030 emissions reduction target as it promised before the last NT election.

Six weeks out from the 2024 Territory election the CLP committed to a 43 per cent reduction in the NT’s greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.

But during budget estimates yesterday, Minister for Lands, Planning and Environment Joshua Burgoyne said the Finocchiaro government had not adopted its promised 2030 emissions target.

Mr Burgoyne dismissed the Territory as a “relatively small emitter” and said climate change provides risks and “opportunities” for the Territory – a tone-deaf response given the ongoing climate crisis.

The Minister also faced questions about why the Territory government had quietly removed a cornerstone document requiring the Territory’s Environment Protection Authority to assess, consider and regulate climate pollution from industries like fracking, gas prospecting and agriculture.

The NTEPA Atmospheric Processes Guidance document has been secretly replaced with a weaker regulatory statement, without any community consultation.

This is completely inadequate, as the Safeguard Mechanism contains no approval power – it’s  largely a reporting mechanism, with penalties for exceeding certain emission thresholds.

Conversely,  the Environment Centre NT’s Recharging the Territory report proposes an alternative economic vision for the NT that tackles the cost-of-living crisis, while creating energy security and thousands of sustainable, future-ready jobs.

Executive Director of Environment Centre NT, Kirsty Howey said:  

“Saying climate change is an “opportunity” is tone-deaf and insulting to Territorians who are  struggling with rising energy costs and already feeling the impacts of climate change.

“This is more than a broken promise – abandoning our climate targets is like pouring petrol on a fire.

“You can’t claim to be serious about climate change while fast-tracking new gas projects like fracking in the Beetaloo and the Middle Arm gas and petrochemical hub, and abandoning emissions targets completely.

“Without immediate action to slash emissions, Darwin and much of the Territory will become unliveable within decades.

“The recent election results in Solomon show Territorians want much stronger action on fossil fuel expansion  – m ore than one in four voters backed candidates who opposed the Middle Arm  gas hub  – that’s a clear message to the government.

“The secret removal of key EPA guidance documents – without any public communication or  consultation – shows a complete lack of transparency.

“The government is fuelling the climate crisis by quietly stripping the EPA of its power to assess greenhouse gas emissions and letting big polluters off the hook.

“The government must come clean on who recommended these policies be shelved and who was consulted with beforehand.”

 

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