Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Water) Share this | Hansard source

Senator, I do not think it is correct to say the world asked for 40 per cent. The Bali road map referenced the 25 to 40 per cent as one scenario and called on developed countries to put forward mitigation targets and called on developing countries to take, I think, measurable, reportable and verifiable actions. So I think your construction of the international context is perhaps a little skewed, if I could suggest that.

We have a view that 450 or lower is in Australia’s interest. That is what we have outlined as one of the conditions of our 25 per cent target and I think is in the legislation from memory. I know the Greens seek 350. The world has already passed 350 ppm. We think 450 or lower is in Australia’s national interest because it gives us a 50 per cent chance of stabilising the increase in warming to two degrees. We know that that is a more reasonable proposition than six or seven degrees. I think there is a policy issue here. It is about how you transition an economy. That is the fundamental difference in views between the government and the Greens. We take the view that a 25 per cent reduction, which is the top end of the government’s target, is ambitious and credible. It is more off our Kyoto target, which is an important indicator, than many if not most other developed country targets. We also take the view that you do not achieve a target by talking about it; you achieve it by getting on with the action that is needed to reduce emissions. That is why we want passage of the legislation.