Australia’s parliament has enshrined in law the government’s elevated target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 43% below 2005 levels by the end of the decade.
The Senate passed legislation supporting the target in a vote of 37 to 30 despite several senators who supported it wanting a more ambitious 2030 target.
The centre-left Labour Party government officially committed Australia to the 43% target after it came to power for the first time in nine years at elections in May. But entrenching it in law has made it more difficult for any future government to reduce the target.
Climate change and energy minister Chris Bowen said the Senate vote provided certainty to clean energy investors while strengthening transparency and accountability in Australia’s carbon reduction processes.
“The message to investors is that Australia is open for business,” Mr Bowen told parliament.
The conservative opposition party voted against the Bill. The opposition has advocated a target of reducing emissions by between 26% and 28% since 2015.
Independent senator David Pocock insisted on several amendments touching on transparency and accountability before he supported the Bill.
These were soon passed by the House of Representatives, where the government holds a majority. The government holds some 26 of the 76 Senate seats.
Greens party senators supported the 43% ambition, although their proposed amendments to increase the target to at least 75% and ban future Australian coal and gas projects were defeated.
