The ACT government's targets of 100 per cent renewables by 2020 and zero net emissions by 2050 were backed by the Canberra Liberals at an election forum on Monday night.

Liberal leader Jeremy Hanson confirmed his party would continue to pursue Labor's climate change policies if elected.

The position has drawn praise from the ACT Conservation Council and climate change action group 350.org, which said the approach of the Canberra Liberals "sits in stark contrast to the federal party's ongoing support for the coal, oil and gas expansion industry and paltry emissions reduction targets".

But both groups have urged the ACT to speed up its transition to a carbon-neutral economy.

Conservation Council ACT executive director Larry O'Loughlin said the ACT should seek to achieve zero net emissions by 2040 to maintain its status as a nation-leading jurisdiction on climate change.

Mr O'Loughlin said the government should also set an interim target at some point between 2020 and 2040, to ensure it stays on track to the ultimate goal of carbon neutrality.

He said speeding up the transition to a carbon neutral economy, if adopted across the globe, would help limit global warming to two degrees.

The emerging evidence, he said, may even prove that target to be inadequate.

"It may be that [2040] is soon unambitious. We might need to do more," Mr O'Loughlin said.

The Conservation Council has also recently released its election policy document, which sets out the priorities for both major parties ahead of the October election.

It urged the major parties to reverse the loss of habitats for endangered and nationally significant ecological communities.

Preserving old trees, which later become critical habitats for a number of species, was a priority for government, Mr O'Loughlin said.

"More needs to be done to protect the old trees that we have in our environment. A lot of the fauna relies on hollows, and hollows don't form until the trees are very old," he said.

Other key priorities included pushing for smarter and more sensitive urban infill, which stops the sprawl of the city into natural areas, but also ensures balance in urban spaces.

"We really need to look at how we increase the density of the city, to keep the city compact, because as we go to the edges, we're taking away some of the things that make this city such a great place to live."

"As we make the city a little bit closer, we still need to think about balancing our urban spaces, so there are spaces for humans and other species to connect with each other and nature."

Climate change action group, 350.org, issued a statement on Wednesday congratulating the Canberra Liberals on adopting the existing climate change and renewable energy targets.

350.org Canberra spokesperson Josh Creaser said the ACT had been a leader in fighting climate change, but said more must be done.

"Whilst the ACT Liberals have taken an important step by matching the ACT Government's policies it's clear that a transition to net zero emissions must happen sooner than 2050," he said.

"This should also include the ongoing divestment of ACT Government shares in fossil fuel companies."