Australia’s two jurisdictions lagging behind in shift toward clean energy: report

Two jurisdictions in Australia's north and west are undermining the national effort to cut greenhouse gas emissions and shift toward clean energy, a report said. In the report published on Wednesday, Sydney-based NGO the Climate Council compared the progress of each of Australia's eight states and territories in the effort. The report found that there has been impressive progress overall in recent years, with most jurisdictions making embracing renewable energy a top priority, but that the state of Western Australia and the Northern Territory are putting that progress at risk. "Western Australia and the Northern Territory keep expanding and approving highly polluting coal and gas projects, seriously undermining our national efforts to cut climate pollution and protect Australians from worsening unnatural disasters," the report said. According to the report, 18 percent of Western Australia's electricity came from renewable sources in the 12 months to August, the second-lowest proportion of any jurisdictio n ahead of only the Northern Territory at 7 percent. The Australian Capital Territory was the only jurisdiction where 100 percent of electricity came from renewable sources followed by Tasmania at 98 percent and South Australia at 78 percent. Overall, 40 percent of electricity in Australia's main grid came from renewables in the year to August. "The amount of clean energy powering our homes and businesses has doubled in just six years," Greg Bourne from the Climate Council said in a statement. In Queensland in Australia's northeast, 27 percent of electricity was generated by renewable sources in the 12-month period, but the Climate Council found the state has become the leader in rooftop solar uptake and clean energy investment. Over 50 percent of houses in Queensland have installed rooftop solar systems, the report said. The federal government has set a national target of 82 percent of Australia's electricity coming from renewable sources by 2030. Enditem Source: The Namibia News Agency