The McGowan Labor Government is calling on Western Australians to have their say on climate change, with the release of the ‘Climate change in Western Australia – issues paper’.
The paper identifies 11 focus areas including industry innovation, future mobility, water security, protecting biodiversity, and regional prosperity.
Public submissions will help shape the State Climate Policy, which is a roadmap that will help guide the State’s transition to a low carbon future.
This policy will build on the existing climate-related initiatives that are already underway in WA including renewable energy, protecting wetlands, water security, waste reduction, expanding the conservation estate and building METRONET.
The policy will assist in meeting the McGowan Government’s commitment to work with all sectors of the economy to achieve net zero emissions for Western Australia by 2050.
The commitment sends a clear signal for new investment, creates certainty for business and positions Western Australia well for a global low-carbon transition.
Feedback on the issues paper will also support the whole-of-government aim of sharing prosperity and realising WA’s economic, social and environmental potential.
The issues paper is available on the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation’s website at https://www.dwer.wa.gov.au and is open for public comment from today (September 4) to November 29, 2019.
The State Climate Policy will be released in 2020.
As stated by Environment Minister Stephen Dawson:
“The McGowan Labor Government acknowledges the challenge that climate change poses for the State and we want to have an informed discussion with the Western Australian community.
“The release of the ‘Climate change in Western Australia – issues paper’ is an important step in developing the State Climate Policy, and we encourage the community to have their say and help shape Western Australia’s future in a changing climate.
“By working together, we can ensure the State is well positioned for a global low carbon transition and improve our State’s resilience to the effects of climate change.”
