Tasmania's Climate Change Action Plan 2023-25 - Plain language version

Tasmania’s Climate Change Action Plan 2023-25 (the Action Plan) is the Tasmanian Government’s plan for action on climate change for the next two years. It includes actions that will reduce our greenhouse gas emissions to make sure we reach our target of net zero greenhouse gas emissions, or lower, from 2030. It also includes actions to improve our information about climate change and to make sure Tasmania is prepared for the impacts of a changing climate.

Climate change will affect all of us in some way, and is affecting many of us already – this could be through recent floods or bushfires, or the impacts on our mental health. It will also impact our future generations. We know it is important to make sure all Tasmanians can access information about climate change, including children and young people.

Consultation on Tasmania’s Draft Action Plan 2023-25 included letters and emails, three public workshops, meetings, and workshops with the Premier’s Youth Advisory Council and the Commissioner for Children and Young People Ambassadors. In total, over 140 individuals or organisations shared their feedback.

A full summary of the feedback and all submissions are available on the website of Renewables, Climate and Future industries Tasmania (ReCFIT) at www.recfit.tas.gov.au/consultation_and_community/recent_closed_consultation/draft_climate_change_action_plan_2023-25

Under this Action Plan, we will complete actions to address many of the key issues that were raised by the community during consultation. This includes supporting Tasmanians to buy electric cars, e-bikes and e-scooters, helping the community to take action on climate change, educating the public about climate change, improving Tasmania’s public transport network, reducing waste and protecting Tasmania’s natural environments.

We have developed this plain language version of the Action Plan to support all Tasmanians to understand what we are doing about climate change.

What is climate change?

Each part of the world has different weather conditions and patterns, known as a climate. For example, in Tasmania we have cool temperatures and four seasons.

Climate change means that these conditions and patterns are changing. For example, this could mean warmer temperatures, different rainfall patterns and wind speeds, and natural disasters like floods and bushfires might happen more often.

Science shows that the world’s climate is changing and it is caused by human activities. Many human activities release greenhouse gases. These gases trap heat in the atmosphere and increase the temperature of the earth, which leads to changes in the climate.

The impacts of climate change are different for each part of the world. The expected impacts for Tasmania are shown on the next page.

What are greenhouse gas emissions?

Greenhouse gases are gases that trap heat in the atmosphere. These gases occur naturally, but are also produced by human activities – we call these greenhouse gas emissions. For example, burning fossil fuels to power our homes, cars and factories produces the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. Other activities like farming cows and sheep, and sending food and garden waste to the tip, produce the greenhouse gas methane.

Currently these activities are producing too many greenhouse gas emissions, causing the temperature of the earth to increase and leading to changes in the climate. This is called the greenhouse effect.

What is carbon storage?

Plants, soils and oceans remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it. This is known as sequestration or storage. An area that stores a lot of carbon is sometimes called a carbon “sink”.

What does net zero emissions mean?

Net zero emissions means the amount of greenhouse gases we produce is equal to the amount removed from the atmosphere.

Australia, and many other countries, have agreed to reduce their emissions and reach net zero by 2050 to limit the impacts of climate change.

Tasmania has had net zero emissions since 2013. This is because our forests store carbon dioxide, and we make most of our electricity from renewable energy instead of burning fossil fuels. We have a target to make sure that we still have net zero emissions, or lower, from 2030.

What are mitigation and adaptation?

Reducing our emissions to limit the impacts of climate change is mitigation.

Taking action to prepare for the impacts of climate change is adaptation.

What is renewable energy?

Renewable energy is energy that comes from sources that can be replaced, like water, sunlight and wind. Creating energy from these sources does not release greenhouse gases.

What is energy efficiency?

Energy efficiency means using less energy to get the same or better outcomes. For example, a modern light-emitting diode (LED) light bulb can deliver the same light level as an old incandescent light bulb while using 90 per cent less electricity. Improving the energy efficiency of our buildings and businesses by using efficient appliances, insulation and double glazing can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, lower energy bills, and make our homes healthier.

What are fossil fuels?

Fossil fuels are energy sources that are formed from ancient plants, animals and other living things. The main fossil fuels are diesel, petrol (oil), coal, and natural gas. When we burn fossil fuels in an engine or power station to create energy, they release greenhouse gas emissions.

Tasmania’s greenhouse gas emissions

Many activities in Tasmania produce greenhouse gas emissions, including our factories, farms, tips, cars, trucks and buses. But, unlike many other parts of the world, we make most of our electricity from renewable energy instead of fossil fuels. Our forests also store large amounts of carbon dioxide. Because of this, Tasmania has had net zero emissions since 2013.

We have a target to make sure that we still have net zero emissions, or lower, from 2030. To reach our target, we need to do more to reduce our emissions and increase the carbon stored in our forests.

Where do our emissions come from?

Impacts of a changing climate

Even if we continue to reduce our emissions, we will still experience some impacts of climate change. The impacts of climate change will create both risks and opportunities for Tasmania.  We can’t remove the risks completely, but we can make sure we understand them and prepare for them as much as we can.

Fast facts

• Tasmania was the first state or territory in Australia to achieve net zero emissions in 2013. We have now had net zero emissions for the last nine reported years.
• Tasmania has the lowest emissions per person in Australia.
• Tasmania’s emissions per person (excluding the land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF) sector) are 18 per cent lower than in 1990.
• Tasmania will be the first Australian state to have a statewide electric vehicle charging network. We are on track to have a charger every 47 km on average across the state.
• We can make 100 per cent of our electricity needs from renewable energy.

By 2030 we will have met our target by reducing our emissions and increasing our carbon storage.

We will have increased the resilience of our communities, environments, industries and infrastructure to the impacts of a changing climate.

We will achieve our vision through three priority areas:

Information and Knowledge

We will provide Tasmanians with up-to-date, easy-to-use information about climate change

Transition and Innovation

We will reduce our emissions, increase our carbon storage, and support Tasmanians to adjust to the changes as the world moves to net zero emissions.

Adaptation and Resilience

We will manage the risks and make the most of opportunities from climate change, and make sure all parts of Tasmania are prepared for the impacts.

We will provide Tasmanians with up‑to-date easy-to-use information about climate change.

Our actions to improve information and knowledge about climate change mean that in 2030:

We will have up-to-date information about Tasmania’s changing climate

We will complete activities to improve our information about how climate change will affect Tasmania in the future. For example, this
will give us better information about the impacts on our natural environment (like our forests and the wildlife that lives in them) and waters (like our rivers, dams, lakes, seas and oceans).

We will work with different groups to improve our understanding of how climate change affects them

We will work with relevant businesses and other parts of the community, including Tasmanian Aboriginal communities, to make sure we address everyone's needs in our action on climate change.

The government will take climate change into account when it makes decisions

We will make sure the government takes climate change into account when it makes decisions about other important issues like the environment, health and education.

Tasmanians will have the information they need to make decisions about climate change

We will complete activities to make sure Tasmanians have the information about climate change that they need to make decisions. This includes educating Tasmanians about climate change, and making sure the information we develop is suited to their needs.

For example, we will create information to support farmers to decide what types of fruits, vegetables and grains to grow as our climate changes. We will also educate Tasmanians about how climate change might impact their health, for example when we experience heatwaves.

We will help Tasmanians to study and train in subjects like renewable energy and farming practices, that will help to reduce emissions and make sure Tasmania is prepared for the impacts of climate change.

Our children and young people will be involved in decisions about their future

We will develop climate change resources for schools and support the Youth Climate Leaders Program.

We will work on improving the way we talk to children and young people to understand their needs as we take action on climate change. We will also work to understand how we can reduce the impacts of climate change on the mental health and wellbeing of Tasmanians, including children and young people.

We will reduce our emissions, increase our carbon storage and support Tasmanians to adjust to the changes as the world moves to net zero emissions.

Our actions to reduce emissions and support the move to a low emissions economy mean that in 2030:

We will have plans to support sectors transition to a low emissions future

We will make Emissions Reduction and Resilience Plans for our transport, energy, waste, farming, factories and forestry industries. We will work with our businesses, industry and the community to make these Plans.

We will support research to discover future risks and opportunities in these sectors to help make the Plans.

Once the Plans have been developed, we will help sectors make the important changes needed to reduce their emissions and build their resilience.

We will make 150 per cent of our 2020 electricity needs from renewable energy sources, and aim to make 200 per cent by 2040

We will increase the electricity we make from renewable sources in different ways, including new sources like offshore wind farms.

We will continue to advertise Tasmania as a great location to businesses and industries that want to invest in renewable energy and reduce their own emissions by moving here.

We will support communities and businesses to find new ways of working and reduce emissions

We will complete activities to support communities and businesses to reduce emissions. For example, we will provide money to support the community to take action on climate change.

We will also help homes, businesses, and schools to install energy efficient appliances or solar panels.

We will make sure climate change and energy efficiency are considered in plans for new housing in Tasmania.

We will be reducing the emissions from Tasmania's farms

We will complete a range of activities to reduce agriculture emissions. We will support research to reduce emissions from cows and sheep, for example by feeding them seaweed. We will also see how we could use seaweed to reduce emissions in other ways, for example by storing extra carbon in the ocean.

We will work directly with our farmers and provide information on storing extra carbon in trees and in the soil through planting or special farming practices. This could provide extra income for farmers or landowners.

The government will lead by example

We will reduce our own emissions from government. This includes making our own plan for how we will reduce emissions, tracking our energy use and emissions, and replacing fossil fuels used in boilers that heat government buildings with renewable options.

We will increase the carbon stored in our forests

We will work to increase the carbon stored in our forests. For example, we will grant money through Private Forests Tasmania for farmers to plant more trees on their farms. This will also help show the positives of planting more trees to other farmers.

We will also support Private Forests Tasmania and the Tasmanian Forestry Hub to provide a measuring tool to help landowners count their emissions and the possible carbon sequestration from planting more trees.

We will work with the forestry sector to find out what makes it hard for landowners to plant more trees and how we can make it easier. We will encourage building companies to use more Tasmanian timber in construction and look at whether we can use tree or agricultural waste to make more energy (bioenergy).

We will support our industries to improve their energy efficiency and reduce emissions

We will complete activities to support industries to be energy efficient and reduce emissions, including helping businesses and industry get interest-free loans.

We will work with the Australian Government to make sure Tasmanian business and industry is included in Australian Government’s climate change programs.

We will reduce emissions from transport by increasing electric vehicles and public and active transport

We will complete activities to reduce transport emissions and encourage Tasmanians to use public or active transport.

For example, we will make sure Tasmania is ready to install more electric vehicle charging stations and we will make sure all government vehicles are electric by 2030.

We will test zero emissions buses on our roads and we will work to make public transport more consistent and affordable.

We will encourage Tasmanians to use active transport by granting money to buy e-bikes and e-scooters. We will plan for changes in active transport by updating the Tasmanian Walking and Cycling for Active Transport Strategy and work with councils to update paths, crossings, rest areas, bathrooms and lockers.

We will halve organic waste sent to landfill and move towards a circular economy

We will make sure Tasmanians can compost more organic waste through the Food Organics Garden Organics (FOGO) program.

We will grow the circular economy by ending single use plastics by 2025 and improving plastic recycling in Tasmania. We will also work with the Australian Government to support recycling in remote communities, and we will use recycled materials, such as old car tyres, when we make roads in Tasmania.

We will manage the risks and make the most of the opportunities from climate change and make sure all parts of Tasmania are prepared for its impacts.

Our actions to support adaptation and build resilience mean that in 2030:

Our response to climate change will be informed by an improved understanding of its impacts

We will complete a statewide climate change risk assessment to find out Tasmania’s most important climate risks and opportunities to adapt to the impacts of climate change.

We will set up an ongoing process to keep track of the state’s disaster risks.

We will continue to work with local government (councils) to prepare for the impacts of climate change

We will work with councils to make sure they are ready to address climate change, and help them manage the impacts of coastal hazards. We will look at ways to provide information to local government about flooding, bushfires, coastal hazards and drought in different parts of Tasmania.

We will have plans in place to support our sectors to adapt and build resilience

We will develop Emissions Reduction and Resilience Plans for our energy, transport, waste, farming, factories and forestry industries and for government operations. The Plans will guide businesses, industry and government in their adaptation and resilience building activities.

We will have improved our preparedness for natural disasters

We will support a range of programs, including a six-week program run by the Tasmania Fire Service (TFS) in Spring 2023, that will help Tasmanians to understand their bushfire risk, create a bushfire plan and prepare their properties. We will continue to work with the TFS to reduce the risks of bushfires.

We will develop Tasmania’s next five-year Disaster Resilience Strategy (2026-2030) to plan for how Tasmania will deal with natural disasters.

We will have increased the resilience of our natural environments and unique biodiversity

We will continue to work on protecting the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area from bushfires.

We will look at how climate change will increase the risk of different pests and diseases in Tasmania, and how we can protect Tasmania from these risks.

We will have increased the resilience of our farms and fisheries

We will complete actions to support Tasmania’s farms and fisheries to be more resilient, through targeted programs. The programs will focus on building resilience to droughts, improving environmental sustainability and making sure farm businesses can continue to operate in a low emissions future.

We will improve access to water for Tasmanian farms. We will work with fisheries to improve the way we think about climate change when we are managing marine environments.

We will have increased the resilience of our communities and buildings

We will complete actions that will support the health and wellbeing of Tasmanians and improve the places they live and work, now and into the future.

We will support actions that protect vulnerable Tasmanians from extreme weather events. We will support the community to take action on health and climate change, and we will create more liveable communities that improve health and wellbeing and address climate change.

We will work with businesses and not-for-profit organisations and encourage businesses to work together so they can adapt to the impacts of climate change. We will consider climate change when we look at planning for future land use and the state’s infrastructure needs, including roads and housing.

After the Action Plan is released, we will:

• publish a separate, more detailed plan that clearly shows the timelines and outcomes for each action
• publish a report every year that shows our progress on action on climate change (called a Climate Change Activity Statement)
• publish a report every year about Tasmania’s greenhouse gas emissions
• monitor our action on climate change to see how we can improve it and learn from our experiences to make sure we get the best outcomes for Tasmania.

To stay up-to-date about opportunities to participate in programs under the action plan and to have your say on action on climate change, we encourage you to sign up for our newsletter through our website: www.recfit.tas.gov.au/climate and follow the Tasmanian Climate Change Office on Facebook.

You can also contact the Climate Change Office by email at climatechange@recfit.tas.gov.au