By Mike Foley

Copyright theage

But the plans released by the Albanese government last week to cut pollution in sectors other than electricity generation, which account for about half of the emissions cuts required by Labor’s plan, depend on the same “technology-led” approach as the Morrison government’s plans.

When Morrison released his net zero road map on October 27, 2021, the Sydney Morning Herald editorial highlighted a key contradiction in the “technology not taxes” strategy – noting that “a significant portion of the emissions reductions it promises relies on technologies not yet developed”.

The Albanese government’s plan makes similar assumptions. It presumes that the $8 billion of industry funding on offer will be sufficient to help industries decarbonise, and that green hydrogen will replace the polluting fuel sources currently used by heavy industry. It also assumes that as yet commercially unproven carbon capture technology is deployed at scale.

Green hydrogen, which is produced using renewable energy and is considered emissions-free, is widely seen as a promising fuel for heavy industry.