The State Government as part of its Mid Year Budget Review has just erased the State's Renewable Energy Fund to save $11.7 million and plans a further reduction in support of $1.5 million for its Sustainability and Climate Change Division.
The winding back of State Government climate change commitments appears to be based on misguided thinking that because a national carbon pricing scheme will commence next year that "the need to support individual projects will be diminished". This is entirely the wrong approach which undermines South Australia's role in transitioning to a low carbon economy.
The national carbon pricing scheme (being heavily compromised and compensated) cannot deliver the necessary emissions cuts (based on science) by itself, but it does create opportunity to make innovation and projects more feasible. With vast solar, wind, wave and geothermal resources, South Australia is well positioned to take on a bigger role in creating a clean energy future . But this will not be achieved by cutting support services and watching from the sidelines.
Just as the previous Rann-led Government created incentives on the back of the National Renewable Energy Target to attract renewable energy investment to South Australia, the new Weatherill Government has the opportunity to facilitate and support new investment for whole range of low emissions and renewable energy projects to flourish in this state with the introduction of the carbon price.
Included as a key part of the Conservation Council's Green our Grid campaign is the need to support large Scale Solar Renewable Energy Power with energy storage technology to replace the Port Augusta coal fired power stations. Commencing with the replacement of Playford B station which is already earmarked for closure, South Australia could be a world leader in renewable energy.
Every emissions reduction that South Australia achieves, will make the situation easier for the Federal Government to set tighter carbon caps and a lower national emissions target in support of lowering carbon output as fast as possible.
All eyes will now be on the State Government to see what it proposes in its updated Climate Change Legislation which is currently under review.
Now is not the time to retreat from tackling climate change because of a carbon price, now is the opportunity we have been waiting for.
