EDO has long called for NSW to enact a Climate Change Act and ensure that key NSW laws are climate-ready.
An overarching Climate Change Act is a missing piece in the statute book and, if strongly drafted, will provide a clear framework for ensuring decisions across NSW government are consistent with meeting emissions reduction targets, carbon budgets and temperature goals. A clear legal framework is also needed for planning, risk assessment, and building resilience to help the NSW community, economy and environment adapt to the significant impacts of climate change.
Legislating 2030 and 2050 targets is an important step. However, to be meaningful and effective, the necessary targets need to be embedded in relevant decision-making processes and enforceable. We support the proposed Bill, but recommend that it be strengthened to ensure that timely, science-based targets can be achieved. At the outset this involves increasing the ambition of the targets, aligning targets and carbon budgets, and strengthening operational provisions to ensure targets can be met.
