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• Western Australia

Western Australia

• Emissions trading scheme time line

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• Kyoto Protocol and Australian Govt Emissions Targets

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• Australia's Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme Summary in PDF Format

Impacts and Costs

Potential Impacts and costs of Climate Change on Western Australia

• South-western Australia's significant drying trend is set to worsen under climate change. If current climate trends continue, there will be up to 80 per cent more droughts in south-western Australia by 2070.
• Coastal housing and infrastructure will be at risk as sea levels rise and storms become more intense.
• In coastal areas, more than 94,000 coastal buildings are at risk from projected sea level rise, coastal flooding and erosion.
• Between Fremantle and Mandurah, an estimated 28,000 buildings and 641 kilometres of road are at risk from erosion due to rising sea levels.
• In south-west Western Australia, mean rainfall has declined dramatically from the late 1960s. An average rainfall decline of 10 to 20 per cent has caused a 40 to 50 per cent decline in dam inflows.
• Evidence from Perth indicates that impacts of climate change are here now. Inflows to the catchments providing water to Perth have noticeably decreased over the last 20 years, reducing the available water supply.
• Western Australia's agriculture and fishery industries are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. For example, warming ocean temperatures and possible changes to the ocean currents may affect Western Australia's $300 million western rock lobster fishery, which contributes 20 per cent of the total value of Australia's fisheries.
• Western Australia's $4.8 billion agriculture industry will be at risk from uncontrolled climate change.
• By 2070, Perth's annual average number of days above 35°C could increase from the current 28 days to 36 - 67 days.
• These hot days could mean more heat-related deaths.
• Warmer temperatures and increased rainfall variation are likely to increase the intensity of food and water borne diseases.
• Indigenous people living in remote communities are at increased risk with the number of Aboriginal children being admitted to hospital with diarrhoea likely to increase by 10 per cent by 2050.
• Increases in temperatures, particularly in the summer months will increase energy demand.

Regulatory Landscape

Premier's Climate Change Action Statement Climate Change: Making Decisions for the Future

• Major industrial GHG producers are required to report their greenhouse gas emissions annually and their reduction strategies for the coming years.
• Large and medium sized power consumers are forced to comply with a mandatory energy efficiency scheme.
• The WA's Government is committed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from 71 million tonnes (2007 level) to approximately 26 million tonnes by 2050. This reduction target has a flow on effect to all level of business.
• Emission reduction strategies and targets have been developed for key sectors of the economy.
• Western Australia is committed to establishing a national emissions trading scheme no later than 2010.

The Western Australia's Greenhouse Strategy (2004) defines several objectives for its strategic response to global climate change:

• The Western Australian Government will work to minimise its own contribution to climate change by demonstrating emission reductions which will impact on the supply chain of businesses to the government.
• Creation of a Greenhouse Abatement Fund to hold and deal with organic sequestration rights and credits generated by Government institutions.

Western Australia is committed to:

• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 60% by 2050.