WA government concedes emissions may rise as it scraps interim reduction targets

The WA government has conceded the state's greenhouse gas emissions may continue to rise, after the ABC revealed the state is abandoning plans to implement interim emissions reduction targets.

Australia is bound by federal legislation to reach net-zero by 2050, but almost every state and territory also has their own targets to reduce emissions before then.

WA looked set to introduce interim emissions targets in 2023 when the state government introduced its Climate Change Bill, but the legislation never progressed.

Instead, it will be replaced with the Green Energy Powerhouse Bill, which will scrap interim emissions targets and introduce a range of other "decarbonisation" targets, according to internal government documents seen by the ABC.

'The globe's the winner'

Premier Roger Cook has previously said the state's emissions could "potentially rise" to support a transition to a "green energy future".

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Mr Cook reiterated the state's "unique role" in reducing global emissions.

"The globe's the winner, but it may mean that Western Australia's emissions increase relative to the rest of Australia, because of the important role that we'll play in the global push to decarbonisation," he said.

The WA Government has long argued the state's gas production, critical minerals industry, and other exports could drive up WA's emissions in the short-term, but would be used to help other countries adopt renewable technologies which would reduce the world’s carbon emissions.

Asked how much WA's emissions are expected to increase, Energy and Decarbonisation Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson said the state government was committed to net-zero by 2050, but the state's trajectory to that point would be "different".

"We're always working with industry to decrease their emissions, but as the premier says, we have a global responsibility here to decrease emissions in the global supply chain, and that is our focus," she said.

"Our emissions reduction will look different to other states. We are bound by the national targets.

"Our emissions trajectory down to net-zero will not be the same as Tasmania, it will not be the same as New South Wales. It will be West Australian. And it will support industry to decarbonise and transition whilst we exit coal and get record renewables on the system."

The WA government is planning to legislate targets for renewable energy generation, carbon capture and storage (CCS), and green exports, according to the internal government documents.

Government 'putting profits first'

Western Australia's greenhouse gas emissions have risen since 2005 largely due to growth in the mining and export sector, according to the federal climate change and energy department.

WA Greens MLC Sophie McNeill said the state government's stance on interim emissions targets was indicative of the industry's influence in WA.

"Every other state is doing this, they did it years ago, and yet [the] Cook Labor government thinks they're special, think that they don't have to address the only meaningful way to fix our climate, which is to reduce emissions," she said.

Reducing emissions is seen globally as a key measure of progress on action to address climate change.

'Good progress' on renewables

Federal Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen defended the WA government's performance on addressing climate change.

"We've got 50 per cent renewable energy on the east coast, but we've got more than that on the west coast," he said.

"They're making good progress, and great strides. Every state has its own approach."

Conservation Council of WA executive director Matt Roberts said legislating carbon capture targets was a major red flag.

"News that this bill has replaced emissions reduction ambition with carbon capture and storage ambition signals an over-reliance on the failing technology," he said.

"Environment groups argue this technology, which has failed to ever deliver emissions storage targets, should only be reserved for hard-to-abate emissions already locked into our energy system, not to enable new emissions."

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WA Liberal energy spokesperson Steve Thomas disagreed.

"The gas sector needs CCS to be able to develop a number of major projects over the next couple of decades," he said.

Dr Thomas also said a state-by-state approach to emissions targets would be ineffective.

"The transition should fit into a national program of emissions monitoring and reductions."