Australia pledges to cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least 62% by 2035

Story: 2025 C.E.  |  Last updated: September 19, 2025

Australia has set one of the most ambitious climate goals in its history, pledging to cut greenhouse gas emissions between 62% and 70% below 2005 levels by 2035. The target builds on the country’s existing 2030 commitments and its long-term goal of reaching net zero by 2050 — and it comes with a detailed plan for how to get there.

At a glance

• Australia emissions target: The government has committed to reducing greenhouse gases 62–70% below 2005 levels by 2035, exceeding its current obligations under the Paris Agreement.
• Net Zero Plan: A comprehensive roadmap covers six economic sectors — energy, transport, agriculture, industry, buildings, and land — with five decarbonization priorities guiding each one.
• Economic modeling: Treasury analysis released alongside the plan projects that the transition will support growth, hold electricity prices lower than an unplanned shift away from fossil fuels would, and generate new employment across trade, technical, and professional fields.

What the plan actually does

The 2035 target is not a standalone number. It sits inside a Net Zero Plan that maps a path across six key economic sectors, including energy, transport, and agriculture. Five core priorities run through every sector: expanding clean electricity, improving efficiency and electrification, scaling up clean fuel use, accelerating emerging technologies, and increasing carbon removals. That structure matters. It tells industries, investors, and workers what to expect — and when. The Australian Government Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water has published detailed sectoral roadmaps alongside the main plan. That level of specificity is relatively rare in national climate commitments and gives the target more credibility than a headline number alone. Still, credibility isn’t the same as certainty. The Climate Council has noted that the lower end of the range — 62% — may not be sufficient to keep Australia aligned with a 1.5°C pathway, and that strong policy follow-through will determine whether the ambition on paper becomes real-world action.

The jobs and economic case

Governments often frame climate action as a cost. Australia’s plan does the opposite. Treasury modeling projects that shifting to a net zero economy will support economic growth rather than undermine it. The transition is expected to keep electricity prices lower than a disorderly, unplanned exit from fossil fuels would produce. Researchers at the University of Sydney have pointed to evidence that clean energy investment generates more jobs per dollar than fossil fuel industries — with particular demand in trade, technical, and professional roles. That doesn’t mean the transition will be painless for every community. Regions that depend heavily on coal and gas exports face real adjustment challenges, and the plan’s success will partly depend on how well governments and industries manage that shift. This connects to a broader global trend. Renewables now make up at least 49% of global power capacity, and countries that move early on clean energy are increasingly positioned to benefit from that shift rather than resist it.

Energy security and climate resilience

Australia’s reliance on fossil fuels has left it exposed to volatile global commodity markets. A homegrown renewable grid changes that equation. Generating energy domestically from sun and wind reduces dependence on international supply chains and price swings. The plan also addresses adaptation — recognizing that some climate impacts are already locked in. Australia has experienced some of the most visible climate-driven disasters of the past decade: the 2019–2020 Black Summer bushfires, repeated flooding across Queensland and New South Wales, and intensifying heatwaves. The Net Zero Plan frames both mitigation and adaptation as urgent and inseparable. Every fraction of a degree of warming prevented now reduces the severity of what communities will face later.

Australia’s role on the global stage

The timing of the announcement carries weight. Australia is seeking to co-host the COP31 climate conference with Pacific Island nations — a region facing existential risk from rising seas. Arriving at that conference with a strengthened Nationally Determined Contribution sends a signal to other major economies that ambition is still rising, not plateauing. The Paris Agreement requires countries to regularly increase their climate commitments. Australia’s new target does that — and does it by a substantial margin. Whether other large emitters respond in kind remains to be seen. But in a moment when global climate diplomacy has faced significant headwinds, a commitment of this scale from a major fossil fuel exporter carries real symbolic and practical weight. The path ahead is long. The plan is detailed. And the scrutiny will be intense — which is exactly how it should be.

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• The Good News for Humankind archive on clean energy
• Source: Australia vows to cut emissions by at least 62% by 2035

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