The Net Zero Australia (NZAu) Project identified and analysed net zero pathways for Australia with unprecedented rigour and to the highest standards of governance and transparency. We established this project because no comprehensive, non-political and rigorous modelling had been done to illustrate the scale, cost, pace and impacts of the Australian energy transition. The response to the NZAu Project from many different stakeholders has been overwhelmingly positive and often accompanied by encouragement for the project to continue. We can now say that the NZAu Project is widely considered within the community, government and industry as the benchmark study of Australia’s net zero transition.
Nonetheless, the National debate still clearly needs an effort that continues to focus on the fundamentals: costs, security/reliability, GHG emissions and our Nation’s welfare and prosperity. All options must continue to play a potential role. At the same time, feedback received from our Supporters and Advisors emphasised the need to engage more strongly with specific stakeholders, translating the insights of the NZAu Project into specific actions that will help accelerate the energy transition.
We are therefore now proposing to extend this initiative to “Net Zero Australia Part 2”. This new Project will extend the NZAu Project’s work to include how we:
- track how the Nation is performing relative to what is needed,
- analyse major aspects of the decarbonisation challenge with sufficient depth and rigour for policy development and planning,
- make practical recommendations, including policy recommendations, that can achieve deep decarbonisation whilst respecting social and other environmental needs; and
- translate these recommendations more strongly into policy, planning, investments and, ultimately, operational projects.
Partners: Australian Energy Producers, The University of Melbourne
Project Researcher: Prof. Michael Brear
Duration: 2 years