Western Australia can support emissions reduction both nationally and globally by leveraging its abundant renewable energy resources and transitioning to green exports.

This will require co-investment in infrastructure, exploration of emerging technologies, and building up the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) skilled workforce. ATSE recently released the report Decarbonisation Diesel Industries which looks at diesel decarbonisation of mining, freight and agriculture, fisheries and forestry in Australia. The report made recommendations to the Australian Government around removing barriers to adoption of low-emissions technologies in Australia’s heavy industry and land freight and investing in R&D and early-stage deployment of low-emission technologies.

In addition to the findings of that report, ATSE makes the following recommendations on Western Australia’s role in global decarbonisation:

Recommendation 1: Invest in comprehensive infrastructure to support the clean energy transition including firmed renewable energy generation and shared transmission infrastructure.

Recommendation 2: Advocate for a review of the federal financial incentives supporting diesel use.

Recommendation 3: Conduct a review of the barriers to proposed renewable energy projects, considering simplification of approvals processes.

Recommendation 4: Leverage demand-side management technologies and policies to reduce electricity needs.

Recommendation 5: Support Western Australia’s critical minerals industry to develop capabilities in value-added processing.

Recommendation 6: Ensure green exports align with international carbon certification schemes to help kickstart green export industries.

Recommendation 7: Consider the potential future role of carbon capture and storage to mitigate emissions from gas and hard-to-abate sectors, while exercising caution against over-reliance given the current lack of demonstrated long-term viability.

Recommendation 8: Expand ATSE’s STELR program into more WA schools to build the future STEM-skilled workforce from the ground up.

Recommendation 9: Co-invest in delivering more Elevate scholarships for Western Australian women and non-binary people studying STEM degrees.

Recommendation 10: Facilitate cooperation between university and TAFE sector for upskilling via micro-credentials that are universally recognised.

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