Are we there yet? Climate Council releases clean transport scorecard

QUEENSLAND’S COMMITMENT TO electrifying its government passenger car fleet by 2026 and exclusively purchasing electric buses by 2030 has earned it the “Fleet Footed” award.

This is according to the Climate Council’s new analysis of what states and territories are doing to decarbonise their transport sectors.

But the state still has some work to do to give commuters in the Sunshine State better access to cleaner and cheaper modes of transport. Increasing the uptake of active modes of transport, such as walking and bike riding, should be a priority.

Better-connected footpaths and dedicated cycling lanes will give Queenslanders more choice in how they travel shorter distances.

Rankings – Most to Least Progress1

ACT (Clean All-Rounder award)
NSW (Public Transport Powerhouse award)
Equal third place TAS (Emissions Slasher award) and VIC (People Powered award)
SA (Charging Ahead award)
QLD (Fleet Footed award)
WA (High Hurdler award)
NT (Active Mover award)

Transport emissions per person, as tCO2e (Tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent):

ACT – 1.65

2, TAS – 1.69

NSW – 1.85
VIC – 1.89
SA – 2.00
NT – 2.30
QLD – 2.31
WA – 2.43

How SA scores:

Transport emissions per person (tCO2e)2: 2.31

Leading: Government electric vehicle fleet target

Lagging: Electric vehicle chargers per person

Climate Council Head of Advocacy Dr Jennifer Rayner said: “Cleaning up transport is a huge priority as we work towards getting emissions plummeting this decade. What’s at stake here isn’t just a race between Australia’s states and territories, it’s a race against the devastating effects of fossil fuel emissions on our climate.

“Implementing zero emission transport solutions that work across Queensland’s vast travel distances is also crucial to cutting fuel bills and emissions as the state works towards a cleaner future.”

“Australians want clean transport options that are accessible, reliable and better for our hip pockets and climate.

“This includes well-connected networks of footpaths and bike lanes, zero emissions public transport and affordable electric vehicles. State and Territory governments are putting their wheels in motion but our analysis shows they really need to hit the accelerator.”

The Climate Council’s People and Transport National Poll 2022 backs this up, finding

The majority (80%) of Australians believe governments should invest more in public transport
Almost three quarters (70%) are keen to see Australia’s entire bus fleet electrified and run on renewables as soon as possible.
More than two-thirds (over 67%) of Australians think governments should invest more in footpaths and bike lanes across the country.

Climate Councillor, energy expert and former President of BP Australasia, Greg Bourne said: “Transport is one of Australia’s fastest growing sources of greenhouse gas emissions, and the sector is our third biggest source of climate pollution.

“There has been a lot of focus on electric vehicles recently, but we won’t achieve our climate targets or address broader challenges within the transport sector purely by replacing dirty petrol cars with electric ones.

“Investment in clean public transport and making our towns and cities pedestrian and bicycle-friendly must also be part of the solution. This will deliver huge benefits for our health, hip pockets and the liveability of our communities – as well as being better for the climate.

“States and territories must step up on clean transport policies to help Australians free themselves from expensive, polluting fossil fuels.”

Read Are we there yet? Clean Transport Scorecard Are we there yet? Clean Transport Scorecard for Australian states and territories | Climate Council

1 These rankings are derived from 10 metrics: transport emissions per person, transport emissions trend over the last 10 years, public transport share, active transport (walking and bike riding) share, electric vehicles as a percentage of new car sales (year to date), zero emissions transport plan, public and active transport mode share target, electric bus target and government fleet target for passenger vehicles.

2 tCO2e = Tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (all greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane)

For further information, go to: climatecouncil.org.au