Climate change in South Australia

South Australia's deployment of renewables during 2011 and 2020 is considered "significant".^[3] South Australia's tree-planting laws are considered to be the weakest in Australia.^[4] The Whyalla were put into administration and it is planned that the South Australian government will fund its conversion to renewable energy.^[5][6]

The Act was the first climate legislation in Australia.^[7] This made South Australia the first state in Australia to commit to greenhouse gas emissions cuts,^[8] one of the first commonwealth jurisdictions with climate laws^[9] and the first jurisdiction in the world with a binding 2050 target.^[10] The Act facilitates the early development of policies and programmes to support renewables and promotes the uptake of renewables by wholesale purchasers.^[11]

The Act legislates that the state has a legal obligation to ensure that emissions are reduced by 60% to an amount that is equal to or less than 40% of 1990 emissions levels.^[12]

In 2024, an amendment bill was tabled in the South Australian Parliament to further strengthen the targets - net zero emissions by 2027.^[13]

Under the legislation the government of South Australia also made a commitment to make Adelaide "the world's first carbon neutral city" by 2020.^[14]

By 2018 local generation of wind and solar electricity had reached 52% and emissions had fallen 32% compared to 2005 levels.^[10] Local generation of electricity is expected to reach 100% by 2025.^[10]

• Climate change in Australia