Net-Zero Australia
Project Description
The Net-Zero Australia Study will identify plausible pathways and detailed infrastructure requirements by which Australia can transition to net zero emissions, and be a major exporter of low emission energy and products, by 2050.
The project seeks to answer critical contemporary questions, such as, what physical plant infrastructure and societal changes are needed to decarbonize the Australian economy, including exports, by mid-century and how will these changes impact natural environments, the economy, incumbent infrastructure, and communities.
The project is a joint project between researchers from the University of Queensland and the University of Melbourne, the Nous Group, and working in collaboration with researchers from Princeton University. It will use the pioneering Rapid Switch framework developed and applied by Princeton researchers in its recent ground-breaking Net-Zero America study.
Australia’s path to net zero analysed in new study – Apr 2023
Net Zero Australia interim results – Aug 2022 (pdf)
Net Zero Australia study launches University of Queensland
Launch of Net Zero Australia – a ground-breaking study University of Melbourne (pdf)
Announcement: Launch of Net Zero Australia – a ground-breaking study The Nous Group
We’re at ground zero on carbon emissions target The Australian
The Net-Zero Australia study will:
- Model prospective pathways to decarbonize the energy, industrial and transport sectors whilst enhancing the natural land sink;
- assess the contribution that Australian exports can make to global decarbonization whilst potentially offsetting the national and regional impacts caused by the decline in traditional fossil-fueled industries;
- incorporate local constraints that reflect the complexities, risks and uncertainties of this massive task;
- ‘downscale’ the modelled pathways to illustrate the actual build-out of assets and infrastructure with a high level of sectoral, spatial and temporal granularity;
- extract the implications for capital mobilization, incumbent industries, employment, and land use;
- identify and analyse socio-economic benefits, including pollution reduction and job creation; and
- identify investment, infrastructure and innovation priorities for the first decade that deliver near-term technology deployment targets and create real options for technologies needed post-2030.
Researchers
Michael Brear (University of Melbourne), Simon Smart (University of Queensland), and Chris Greig (Princeton University)