The Great Lakes Zephyr - Wind Energy & Hydrogen Journal

Date: Thu, 22 Jan 2004 15:24:51 -0800 (PST)
From: Green Bean greenb3an@yahoo.com
Subject: Doubling renewable energy targets could create 5000 jobs

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/01/20/1074360766947.html

Doubling energy targets could create 5000 jobs, say
green groups

By Stephanie Peatling, Environment Reporter
January 21, 2004

Australia is missing out on thousands of new jobs and
a cleaner environment by failing to set an ambitious
renewable energy target, industry groups say.

The Federal Government last week recommended no change
to the current target - which states that 2 per cent
of energy by 2010 must come from environmentally
friendly sources such as wind and solar.

But the Business Council for Sustainable Energy and
the Australian Wind Energy Association said the
renewables sector could produce enough energy to
easily cope with at least a doubling of the target.

The executive director of the council, Ric Brazzale,
said a higher target would attract investment to the
emerging industry. "You can't on one hand call for
investment in the short term and with the other weaken
the measure that creates investor confidence," he
said.

Last week's review questioned the ability of the
renewable energy sector to meet an increased target.
But it also pointed out that investment would stall
unless further targets were set beyond 2010, and urged
the Federal Government to adopt a 5 per cent target.

Setting such a target would generate up to 5000 new
jobs, mostly from new wind developments in regional
areas, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 16
million tonnes each year, the groups said.

The Opposition said it would increase the target to 5
per cent by 2010.

"Australia . . . with its abundance of untapped
renewable energy resources, highest per capita
emissions of greenhouse gases and susceptibility to
climate change must do more to encourage the
development of the renewable energy industry," the
Opposition environment spokesman, Kelvin Thomson,
said.


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