ENERGY Minister and Treasurer, Matt Kean, is stepping up the NSW Government’s approach to climate change action.

In a spirited appearance on the ABC’s Q&A, he said that the state intends to reduce emissions from between 47% to 52% by 2030, in stark contrast with the position of the Federal Government.

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In addition, he continues to announce initiatives that support this position.

In a major step towards effective action, the Minister has announced the Net Zero Emissions Policy Forum, a collaboration between the NSW, ACT and SA Governments, designed to help sub-national jurisdictions address the practical challenges of achieving net zero emissions.

Mr Kean said the forum will provide a repository of policies and resources that can help members reduce their emissions, and grow their economies without reinventing the wheel.

He said, “Taking action on climate change is an economic and environmental imperative, and this is about ensuring states and territories are working together to address it.

“Greenhouse gas emissions do not recognise borders, and to tackle climate change we need a globally collaborative approach and that is what this forum is about,” he continued.

NSW will chair the Ministerial Group for the first 12 months.

As the Forum grows, it is expected that it will be co-chaired by a leading subnational government from overseas.

Gurmesh Singh, Member for Coffs Harbour, told News Of The Area, “The net zero targets for 2050 were set by our government back in 2016 and revisions to the 2030 target were revised earlier this year.

“Steps towards achieving those targets should be welcomed as our plan will deliver $37 Billion in private investment and thousands of jobs across NSW,” he said.

Mr Kean has also declared that the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) is set to become the first national parks agency in Australia to commit to being carbon positive.

He said that by 2028 NPWS will remove and store more carbon than it creates, reaching net zero emissions and then becoming carbon positive.

Mr Kean said, “This is a visionary plan that highlights the importance of the national parks in combating climate change alongside the critical role they already play in the conservation of biodiversity providing home to 85 percent of threatened species in the state.”

The ‘Carbon Positive Plan’ is for NPWS to implement actions to reduce its carbon footprint including switching to 100% renewable energy, electric passenger vehicles, installing onsite solar PV, reducing waste and updating refrigeration and air conditioning assets with high efficiency models.

NPWS will also trial electric vehicle charging stations in key park areas to support the community to continue to visit National Parks using electric vehicles.

Mr Kean said that National Parks also represent one of the largest carbon stores in the State, protecting over 40 percent of all forest carbon.

These existing carbon stores will be protected through effective fire management, and invest in a suite of biodiversity-friendly carbon sequestration projects.

By Andrew VIVIAN