Petrol and diesel vehicles should be banned from sale by 2035 and households should be encouraged to get rid of one of their family cars, according to a new report which found Australia has the potential to halve its transport emissions by 2030.
The Climate Council’s findings, released on Tuesday, also recommend that the government step up efforts to electrify taxis, ride-sharing and government vehicles, move more freight by rail and improve public transport, pedestrian and cycling facilities .
The study found that the measures, if taken, could reduce pollution and deliver significant health benefits sooner than expected.
The recommendations come two weeks after the federal government unveiled its draft fuel efficiency standard that would limit emissions from new fleets for the first time.
The Climate Council worked with the University of Technology Sydney to produce its Seize the Decade report, which explored opportunities to reduce emissions in areas such as the electricity grid, construction, mining and transport.
The modeling showed that changes in how Australians traveled could reduce emissions from the 94.6 megatonnes expected under current policies to 45.3 megatonnes by 2030.
Recommended changes include increasing walking, cycling and public transport fares by five percent per year until the end of the decade, and ensuring that at least one in three cars used by government agencies, taxi and ride-sharing companies are electric vehicles. .
The Climate Council’s research also found that electric heavy-duty trucks should account for 17 percent of the total number of trucks on Australian roads and that a third of road freight should go by rail.
The Electric Vehicle Council wants states and territories to adopt targets mandating the percentage of new car sales that must be electric
The recommendations come two weeks after the federal government unveiled its draft fuel efficiency standard that would cap emissions from new fleets for the first time (photo by Anthony Albanese and Chris Bowen)
Federal and state governments should also provide financial incentives for households to get rid of a family car, the report said, and the federal government should set a date for the end of sales of gasoline and diesel vehicles.
“This date must be set by 2035 to ensure Australia has a zero-emission fleet by 2050,” the report said.
The move would match similar restrictions in the European Union, Canada, the United Kingdom and some US states, and in the ACT that will end sales of new combustion engines in 2035.
Doctors Council and Climate Council volunteer Kate Charlesworth told AAP the report shows the country can significantly reduce transport pollution and families can help by following simple steps.
“Generally speaking, a household now has two petrol cars and what we’re talking about is switching one of them to an electric car and replacing the other with a mix of shared and active transport,” she said.
‘As a society we are very car-centric and we need to offer much more choice and options to enable us to accelerate and reduce our emissions.’
Dr. Charlesworth said reducing transport pollution would not only benefit the environment, but would also be cheaper for households and could improve public health, both through increased physical activity and cleaner air.
“Particulate matter from cars is linked to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases,” she said.
“By reducing climate pollution and cleaning up the way we get around, we will also make it easier for Australians to live healthier and safer lives.”
The call for change in the transport sector follows the launch of the federal government’s New Vehicle Efficiency Standard, which promises to reduce emissions from new passenger cars by 60 percent and from new light commercial vehicles by 50 percent by 2029.
The standard should be introduced in January 2025.