Higher planning hurdles needed for coal mines and data centres: watchdog New South Wales is sleepwalking towards a climate catastrophe as greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, with the state government's inaction on coal mines and data centres hobbling progress on renewable energy.
The latest annual report from the independent Net Zero Commission highlights the alarming gap between current policies and the state's legislated targets of 50% reduction by 2030 and 70% by 2035.
The commission's report notes that while the NSW government has made some strides in reducing emissions through household energy efficiency measures and cleaner transport, more needs to be done.