According to the CCA, Australia needs to sign up for carbon emissions cuts by 30 percent by 2025 and forty to sixty percent by 2030 in order to be on a par with other UN members in attempting to reduce the consequences of global warming.
"The authority believes its recommendations constitute a credible package for the Australian government to take to the Paris conference. Achievement of the recommended target of a 30% reduction in emissions by 2025 would still have Australia with a more emissions-intensive economy than any major developed country other than Canada," the CCA said in its final report on emissions reduction targets.
However, climate groups voiced concerns as to whether the targets recommended by the CCA were realistic as they could be a weight on Australia and its emissions-intensive economy.
In response to the agency’s report, Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop told the channel Sky News that the government’s final decision on post-2020 emissions targets would be "economically responsible, proportionate and appropriate for Australia".
According to the CCA, Australia’s carbon emissions intensity reduced by half between 1990 and 2012 following structural changes, new low-carbon technologies, fuel switching and improvements in energy efficiency.
The largest carbon emitters on the planet, the United States and China, intend to decrease their carbon emissions by 28 percent by 2025 and about 20 percent by 2030 respectively.
