All candidates from the Australian Greens have been allocated a green light after our rigorous assessment process. The party advocates for an immediate freeze on all new coal, oil and gas projects. They have a comprehensive and fully-costed climate plan which aims for a 100% transition to renewable energy. The plan takes into consideration the economic and social impact of climate change and the measures required to prevent further global warming.

Number green light candidates before orange light or red light candidates on your ballot paper.

CLIMATE CHANGE AND ENERGY

The climate crisis is negatively impacting all aspects of modern life, contributing to disruption of ecosystems, biodiversity and human societies through sea level rise, extreme weather events, desertification and changing weather patterns, and threatening food security, water, the economy, social cohesion and the well-being of humans and other living things. These impacts will escalate in the future.
The climate crisis requires us to seize the opportunity to transform Australia into a greenhouse gas-negative powerhouse that creates new jobs and a cleaner planet.

PRINCIPLES

The Australian Greens believe that:

1. The impacts of the human-induced climate crisis pose an existential threat to ecosystems, biodiversity and human societies.

2.It is the duty of every government and organisation to take substantive action to solve the climate crisis. 

3. Urgent, equitable and sustained local, national and global action is required to avoid climate catastrophe.

4.  A safer climate will require a return to an atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases equivalent to 350 parts per million of CO2, or lower.

5. Australia’s climate policy must be consistent with our commitment under the Paris Agreement to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.

6. As Australia has emitted and continues to emit a disproportionate amount of greenhouse gases, we have a greater responsibility to resettle and rehouse people and populations displaced by the climate crisis.

7. Australia needs urgently to phase out fossil fuels for export and domestic use.

8. A just transition for communities and workers affected by closure of fossil fuel based mining and electricity generation industries is essential.

9. Australia is a wealthy nation with extensive renewable energy resources that should be used to benefit all Australians; it has both the opportunity and the responsibility to become a world leader in addressing the climate crisis.

10. Australia’s exports and domestic per capita pollution make it one of the largest contributors to the climate crisis. Australia must urgently reduce domestic greenhouse gas emissions to net negative. We must actively support international efforts to remove global emissions from the environment and plan to adapt to the impacts of the climate crisis which are now inevitable.

11. Many of the harshest impacts of the climate crisis disproportionately affect those already experiencing disadvantage. Solving the climate crisis and building a just society go hand in hand. 

12. Climate action must include and respond to the specific experiences, knowledge, priorities and needs of First Nations Peoples.

13.  Equity must be at the core of all climate change negotiations and measures while transitioning to an economy and society that supports a safer climate.

14. The climate crisis necessitates a transition away from an economy reliant on unsustainable consumption and production to one that has net zero greenhouse gas emissions. Any cost of creating an economy that adapts to climate change and supports a safer climate must be distributed fairly, both domestically and internationally. 

15. In moving to a net negative greenhouse gas economy, it is essential to minimise the adverse impacts of that transition on communities that are most at risk and most disadvantaged.

16. Failing to transition to a net negative greenhouse gas future will have adverse impacts on people and society through:

1. mass death and suffering;

2. increasing and intensified extreme weather events and related environmental disasters;

3. increased risks to water resources, agriculture and food security;

4. the increased cost of adaptation and

5. lost or diminished economic opportunities by delaying the transition to renewables.

17. Australia has the capacity to ensure that all of our energy needs can be provided by renewable sources

18.  A nationwide, systematic response is required to drastically reduce emissions from all sectors, draw down greenhouse gases, and be greenhouse gas neutral or negative by 2035.

19. Significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions can be achieved by reducing waste and unnecessary production and consumption.

20. Energy prices should reflect the environmental, social, health and other external costs of its production and use.

21.  The refurbishment of existing coal fired power stations, except for transitions to renewable energy, undermines the effort to increase end-use energy efficiency, demand management and renewable energy.

22.  Australia has a responsibility to assist other nations, particularly in the Asia-Pacific, to create safer climate economies and adapt to the climate crisis.

23. All energy infrastructure must be regulated by government, and large scale energy infrastructure and networks should be in public or community ownership.

AIMS

The Australian Greens want:

1. Net zero or net negative Australian greenhouse gas emissions by 2035 or sooner.

2. A leading role for Australia in international negotiations leading to a multilateral emission abatement treaty. This treaty would share the opportunities and responsibilities equitably, recognising the proportionately greater historical and current contribution of wealthy industrialised nations to the climate crisis.

3. To build support in the community for urgent action to achieve a safe climate.

4. Australia to use its scientific, diplomatic and economic influence to promote the development and deployment of non-polluting alternatives to fossil fuel based energy. 

5. Removal of all subsidies to the fossil fuel industry.

6. An orderly phase out of the exploration for, extraction, consumption and export of fossil fuels consistent with our emissions reduction plan.

7.  A just transition to a net negative greenhouse gas economy through a range of mechanisms including a plan to replace fossil fuels with renewable energy through strong regulatory intervention and a strong effective price on carbon.

8. Subsidies to the fossil fuel sector to be removed, and investment in relevant climate change mitigation sectors should be increased. 

9. A well-funded, comprehensive and research-based emissions reduction plan, with binding annual targets and national emissions limits, supported by reporting for all sectors with significant greenhouse emissions.

10. Reduce the overproduction and overconsumption of consumer goods that both depend upon fossil fuels and put unnecessary pressure on environmental resources.

11. A legislative framework that addresses the climate crisis as a priority responsibility of the federal government, and ensures that:

i. all relevant legislation and regulations, from all levels of government, require that the climate crisis be considered;

ii. justice, equality and democracy remain the guiding principles in government responses to the climate crisis;

iii. the climate crisis is at the forefront of decisions made by governing and regulatory bodies for energy markets;

iv. the climate crisis is central in all decision and approval processes involving all levels of government, and involving matters of national environmental significance as currently set out under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) and;

v. all decisions and their rationale made by all levels of government that may have implications for the climate crisis are publicly reported.

12. A national system of energy efficiency targets and stringent Minimum Energy Performance Standards that are consistent with, or exceed, world’s best practice for products, buildings and infrastructure.

13. Support for state and local government initiatives to encourage the reuse and recycling of building materials.

14. A government-supported shift to 100% renewables.

15. Construction of a comprehensive system of storage and transmission to achieve 100% renewable energy.

16. 100% of electricity used in Australia to come from renewable sources as soon as possible, by increasing the renewable energy target (RET) as well as measures such as public investment, feed-in tariffs and regulations to support a range of renewable energy generation, storage, transmission networks, efficiency, and export technologies.

17. The pricing of electricity and fossil fuels to reflect their true cost, including externalities such as their impacts on health, water resources, ecosystems, agricultural production, air pollution and climate crisis.

18. Exclusion of new in-stream utility-scale hydroelectric power stations and all electricity from burning native forests from the RET.

19. Reform of energy markets to remove the bias toward centralised fossil fuel-based generation, encourage demand management and the development of distributed generation, storage and transmission of renewable energy.

20. Improved regulations, monitoring and compliance for all existing gas operations, particularly in relation to methane emissions, impact on water resources, agricultural land and biodiversity.

21. Rapid rollout of smart technology, including meters, appliances, grids and energy storage, with measures to reduce the financial impact on people with low or fixed incomes.

22. To build capacity within our communities and industries to develop and expand local renewable energy, including through increasing community and public ownership of energy production and storage.

23. No new coal-fired power stations, gas mines or oil wells, and no expansions to any existing coal- or gas-fired power stations or mines, plus the development of programs to assist fossil fuel-dependent communities to make the transition to other more sustainable sources of economic prosperity.

24. Coal fired power stations should be decommissioned.

25. Thermal coal exports to be phased out by 2030 and all other fossil fuel exports to cease by 2040, with the exception of metallurgical coal.

26. The adoption of the precautionary principle in relation to capturing carbon through geosequestration, by opposing public funding, and ensuring that companies are financially responsible for the risks and effects of greenhouse gas leakage.

27. Preservation and promotion of natural carbon sequestration in soils, forests and marine sea grass and kelp, swamps and mangrove beds, and a funding and focus on restoring these natural carbon sinks.

28. To use the Government’s vehicle fleet procurement policies to contribute to the elimination of greenhouse gas emissions, including through the use of zero emission vehicles.

29. Research, development and deployment of sustainable fuels which demonstrably reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and do not threaten biodiversity or food security.

30. Research, development and deployment of greenhouse gas neutral technologies for manufacturing and industry, particularly replacing the direct use of fossil fuels in industrial processes.

31. Research, development and deployment of mechanisms to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from sea and air transport and ensure that greenhouse gas emissions from sea and air transport, both domestically and internationally, are calculated, reported and accounted for under national and international obligations.

32. Research, development and the implementation of sustainable agricultural methods that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while transitioning from industrial farming practices that are greenhouse gas intensive or rely on fossil fuels.

33. Research, development and deployment of processes that will allow Australian industry to convert renewable energy into an exportable resource.

34. The creation of a renewable energy export industry, including renewables-generated fuels such as Green Hydrogen, direct connections to neighbouring countries and the export of technology.

35. The implementation of world leading vehicle fuel efficiency and emissions standards while transitioning to sustainable transport.

36. The development and expansion of robust distribution networks for sustainable alternative fuels and charging facilities for electric vehicles.

37. Corporations exporting fossil fuels to be required to include in their annual reports the quantities of greenhouse gases embodied in their exports, whether or not liability for those emissions is covered by the laws of the recipient country.

38. An Australian government investment policy that divests from all fossil fuel extraction and consumption.

39. A requirement that all large companies, resources companies, and the financial sector report their exposure to global warming risk using uniform standards developed by the Council of Financial Regulators.

40. The development of a mechanism to ensure that the embedded emissions in imported goods are calculated and reported, noting that Australia and other developed countries effectively export their emissions liability by importing goods rather than manufacturing them.

41. Engagement with the international community to ensure that international reporting of emissions includes imported emissions (not only emissions emanating from activities undertaken in each country), thereby providing a more accurate estimation of each country’s ecological footprint.

42. Stronger environmental laws and systems that prohibit further land clearing or logging native forests, or activities that reduce carbon storage or pose a threat to kelp forests and seagrass beds in order to protect natural carbon drawdown mechanisms.

43. Improved planning and adaptation mechanisms for coastal communities that will be affected by rising sea levels.

44. Improved climate adaptation planning for agricultural areas that will be impacted by climate variability, desertification, drought, extreme weather events and fires.

45. To promote agricultural, forestry and land use regimes in which photosynthetic sequestration of carbon dioxide exceeds its emission to the atmosphere.

46. The creation of a renewables export industry, including renewables-generated liquid fuels, direct connections to neighbouring countries and the export of technology.

(Climate Change and Energy policy as amended by Special National Conference August 2020.)

We have ranked the Animal Justice Party as GREEN for the Victorian State Election. They have a strong climate policy. Notwihstanding his support for the tax on electric vehicles, Andy Meddick has an admirable voting record for climate action as a sitting member of the Legislative Council

The imperative is for urgent action now to protect what we can, stop the emission of greenhouse gases, and accelerate ecological regeneration for climate protection.

The Climate Emergency

The AJP is the only political party with policies that comprehensively take into account all sources of emissions, including the impact of animal agriculture and land clearing on the global climate, and the need to urgently transition to a plant-based diet in order to address the climate crisis.

Policy

The Animal Justice Party (AJP) will take urgent action to address the climate emergency. In addition to phasing out fossil fuels, we will transition from animal agriculture towards more sustainable plant-based farming, and transform other climate threatening industries and practices. This is essential not only to reduce harmful emissions, but also to protect nature, and human and other animal life.

Key Objectives

1. Declare a climate emergency and biodiversity emergency at every level of government as the first step towards systemic change and climate justice.
2. Rapidly transition from animal agriculture to plant-based agriculture and promote plant-based diets (see our Human Diet and Animals Policy). 
3. Protect, regenerate, expand, rewild and enhance all ecological systems including forests, grasslands, freshwater and marine habitats, in part by reserving at least 50% of the planet for nature (see our Policies on Human Population, Land Clearing and Marine Animals).
4. Develop water management policies that are responsive to climate change and that prioritise animals, the environment and people over commercial interests (see our Water Management Policy).
5. Develop and fund comprehensive plans and actions to assist all animal species and vulnerable human populations to adapt to a changing climate.
6. Rapidly phase out fossil fuels and transition to clean energy infrastructure (see our Energy Policy).
7. Commit to ambitious emission reduction targets which do not encourage dead end ‘solutions’, such as natural gas (see our latest Election Platform).
8. Remove subsidies from the fossil fuel and animal agriculture industries in the interim and redirect funding into clean energy solutions and sustainable plant-based agriculture.
9. Shift away from road transport toward more environmentally-friendly modes, including rail and mass transit, together with walking and cycling (see our Land Transport Policy).
10. Reimagine urban design to be climate-friendly and climate-resilient, and incentivise research and development into net zero carbon building materials and practices. 

Background

The climate emergency is a planetary crisis requiring immediate and substantial action. It is caused by increased greenhouse gases in the atmosphere that cause the Earth’s temperature to rise, i.e., global heating. Moreover, global heating creates feedback loops, causing more carbon dioxide to be released, for example, through the thawing of permafrost. Human activity drives the increases in greenhouse gas emission, e.g., land clearing, animal agriculture and fossil fuel use, but also transport, and building and construction. Carbon dioxide is not the only greenhouse gas; methane, nitrous oxide and various fluorine gases are also contributors. 

Humans and other animals are already suffering from the impacts of the climate emergency. This emergency is driving species extinction, changes in weather and climatic extremes, changes in precipitation patterns and soil moisture, our ability to grow food, availability of and access to freshwater, and more. In Australia, for example, the climate emergency has already significantly impacted our water security. Entire social and technological systems will also feel the impact, such as our health systems and energy systems.  

Even when we stop emitting greenhouse gases, heating will continue for some decades. There is evidence that tipping points are near. Ultimately, the climate emergency is as much a threat to nature and our biological systems as it is a threat to our social and political systems worldwide. 

The imperative is for urgent action now to protect what we can, stop the emission of greenhouse gases, and accelerate ecological regeneration for climate protection.

Climate Justice

The brunt of the climate emergency will be borne disproportionately by socially and economically disadvantaged groups such as women and children, First Nations Peoples, younger generations and non-human animals. This is felt between and within nations, leading to ever greater inequalities. The AJP supports measures to alleviate these environmental and climate injustices.

With the growing number of climate refugees, the AJP will help Australia to fulfil its role as a good global citizen for those in need (see our Asylum Seeker Position). Many are already affected by the climate emergency in Australia and overseas, and we support speedy and effective measures for those suffering hardship.

To address the problem, we must offer support to people and businesses that want to transition away from exploiting animals and the environment, in particular those with significant climate footprints. Our Ethical Economy Policy calls for a transition to kind and meaningful employment for all Australians.

There is an important role for First Nations People and local communities in advising and taking leading roles in protecting and climate-proofing nature and local communities. We support governance and solutions that enable First Nations People to adopt these leadership roles (see our First Nations Position).   

Climate justice must include all species. AJP supports the reservation of at least 50% of the planet for nature (see our Human Population Policy), and calls for the regeneration of the natural world and adaptation strategies to assist animals facing a changing climate. Ultimately, this will create a more resilient and healthier world for all of us.

Regeneration and Protection of Nature

Our survival and the survival of other species depends on a healthy environment. However, major crises are threatening life on Earth: the climate emergency, biodiversity emergency, and emerging diseases. These crises are connected. An important part of the solution is the protection and regeneration of nature, enabled by a shift to a plant-based diet (see below in the Animal Agriculture section). Our vision includes natural and assisted regeneration, such as rewilding current agricultural lands, planting trees, improving biodiversity in parks and cities, and rehabilitating former mining sites, other land and waterways.

The United Nations Global Biodiversity Outlook 5 identifies eight critical transitions that are required to shift to a “sustainable coexistence with nature”. One transition is focused on the climate emergency, while agriculture is directly or indirectly implicated in most of these transitions. That is why AJP specifically focuses on animal agriculture in this policy.

Fossil Fuels

The burning of fossil fuels is not the only source of carbon dioxide pollution, but it is the largest. Fossil fuels are also used directly to provide carbon for steel, plastic and chemical production. In cold climates, fossil fuels are the major source of direct heating; and in all climates the major source of energy for transport (see our Land Transport Policy). 

Global agreements to limit fossil fuels have only slowed the rate of increase. Between 2015 and 2019 there was a global increase in the use of coal (by 7.6%), oil (by 5%) and gas (by 15%). 

Rather than using and exporting fossil fuels, Australia must develop clean industrial and energy infrastructure and export those technologies to the world. The AJP is committed to rapidly phasing out fossil fuels, supporting innovation, and transitioning to clean energy infrastructure.

Animal Agriculture and Food Choices

Animal agriculture is a major contributor to the climate crisis, and yet, it is too often overlooked or ignored by climate advocates and major political parties. In Australia, agriculture contributes around 13% of our greenhouse gas emissions each year without considering the effects of land-clearing. However, that 13% is misleading: methane emitted by animal agriculture has a much greater heating effect than the carbon dioxide emitted from burning fossil fuels.

The following chart, using Australia’s 2021 UN Inventory data, shows that methane emissions from Australia’s 28 million cows and 70 million sheep will have more impact on the climate in the next 20 years (GWP20) than all of our coal or gas-fired electricity power stations combined (Figure 1).

If global trends in meat and dairy intake continue, global mean temperature rise will more than likely exceed 2 degrees Celsius, even with an instantaneous cessation of fossil fuel use. Climate solutions must tackle both carbon dioxide and methane levels simultaneously.

For a truly sustainable, equitable and food-secure future, global organisations are now calling on governments to commit to a reduction in or moratoriums on animal agriculture and positive support for plant-based diets, including 

• Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO); 
• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC);
• Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystems Services (IPBS);
• United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity;
• The Alliance of World Scientists; and 
• World Animal Protection. 

This transition will invariably require government support to assist businesses and workers currently working in animal agriculture to re-train and transition into more sustainable and humane plant-based industries, including emerging industries in plant-based alternatives (e.g., alternative milks and proteins), as well as cell-based meats. These types of TransFARMation projects are already taking place successfully around the world. Major meat producers are adopting plant-based products in an effort to meet consumer demand and protect their bottom line. 

Australian governments, other Australian political parties and the animal agriculture industry fail to recognise animal agriculture as part of the problem. They propose ineffective responses to this problem. For example, feeding cows red seaweed makes headlines but only covers 10% of their lifetime emissions, has serious animal welfare implications, is impractical to scale commercially, and fails to address land clearing.

Building and Urban Design

New homes in Australia are among the largest in the world; particularly free-standing houses. Large houses use more materials to build and furnish, and more energy to run. All material goods begin either as the output of mines, forests, cropping, or animal agriculture. Housing materials and contents frequently generate emissions not just via energy used in mining and processing, but also via the chemistry of manufacture. Cement, for example, not only uses prodigious amounts of energy during production, but the process itself generates carbon dioxide. Global cement production is about 4.4 billion tonnes per year; generating about 2.6 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide. We desperately need a climate-friendly alternative. 

It is not just the homes and buildings we need to change, but the cities and townscapes around them. Cities are major sources of emissions. We must mitigate climate change by stopping urban sprawl and developing walkable cities (see our Human Population & Planning and Land Transport Policies). Australia must also adapt to climate change by welcoming nature back into our suburbs (see our Urban Animals Policy) and making our towns and cities cooler with better designs, less concrete and more green spaces. Implementing biodiversity-sensitive urban design (BSUD) creates settlements that support the local ecosystem rather than replace it. It is positive all round: cities are cooler and emit less, people are happier and more active, and species become more resilient to a changing climate and landscape.

Climate Targets

The AJP wants to see Australia’s emissions plummet but cautions against interim measures which may risk entrenching the fossil fuel and animal agriculture industries. For example, switching from coal to gas and offshoring emission intensive industries has provided short-term ‘good news’ for domestic audiences but may do more harm than good in the long run. Targets in the fossil fuel industry must mean transitioning to clean energy; not investing in trying to make fossil fuels ‘cleaner’. Likewise, targets in animal agriculture must mean transitioning towards sustainable plant-based agriculture; not ‘greenwashing’ suggestions like feeding cows seaweed (see above). 

Related Policies & Positions

• Asylum Seekers
• Energy
• Ethical Economy
• First Nations
• Great Barrier Reef
• Human Diet and Animals
• Human Population & Planning
• Land Clearing
• Land Transport
• Marine Animals
• Natural Gas
• Water Management