The ACT will be the only Australian jurisdiction to sign up to an ambitious global commitment to phase out coal-fired electricity generation.
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The statement, launched at the Glasgow COP26 climate summit, will commit the ACT to scaling up the use of clean power generation and boosting efforts to ensure a "just and inclusive" transition from unabated coal power.
The ACT's electricity supply is already offset by 100 per cent renewable sources, and the territory has emissions reduction targets far ahead of the Commonwealth government. The ACT has committed to net zero emissions by 2045.
ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr, who is also the Minister for Climate Action, said the territory was already investing in jobs to support growth in the clean energy sector.
"We remain committed to phasing out fossil-fuel-gas, supporting energy grid stability, supporting all households to reduce their footprint and reforming the ACT's building and planning systems to transition to environmentally sustainable and climate-ready buildings," Mr Barr said.
"While our work demonstrates significant progress to reduce emissions, we know we cannot manage the impacts of climate change alone. Only with national commitment, strong collaboration and participation across government, industry, research institutes and the community will we see the capacity to reduce emissions align with global climate goals."
The Chief Minister's comments on the phase out of natural gas appear to renew his resolve to phase out the fossil fuel, a plan mooted in the ACT government's 2019 climate change strategy.
However, Mr Barr last year said during the ACT election campaign Labor would not support any "crazy Greens proposal" to force households off gas appliances before they were ready.
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Energy and Emissions Reduction Minister Shane Rattenbury, who is the leader of the Greens, welcomed the government's commitment to the anti-coal pledge.
"All the evidence tells us that we have only a limited window to solve the climate crisis. We must leave coal and gas in the ground and power our economies with zero emissions, renewable energy. Keeping global warming to below 1.5 degrees means moving beyond the polluting fossil fuel era and shifting to a zero emissions future," Mr Rattenbury said.
Mr Rattenbury said the federal government's position at the Glasgow climate summit made a mockery of climate action and the conference.
The ACT government confirmed in a statement it had notified the federal Department of Foreign Affairs of the pledge, under the Commonwealth's foreign arrangements scheme.
Opposition Leader Elizabeth Lee will leave Canberra on Friday to attend the Glasgow conference, but the ACT government will not be represented.
Mr Barr and Mr Rattenbury called on Ms Lee to use her trip to lobby Prime Minister Scott Morrison for more urgent action to reduce Australia's emissions.
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