The Western Australian government has unveiled the Sectoral Emissions Reduction Strategy, a comprehensive plan aimed at achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 across five key sectors.

Extensive consultations were conducted with community organizations, research institutions, businesses, industry representatives, and environmental bodies during the development of the strategy, according to the state government.

The strategy encompasses five sectors: electricity, industry (including mining), transport, agriculture and land, and buildings and waste. It also recognizes the potential of direct air capture and land use, land use change, and forestry (LULUCF) in emissions reduction efforts. However, the inclusion of direct air capture has sparked some controversy due to concerns about its cost, effectiveness, and potential to perpetuate reliance on harmful fossil fuels.

The strategy emphasizes the importance of a just energy transition, aiming to empower Aboriginal people, individuals in regional areas, small businesses, and communities through community-owned renewable projects, industry partnerships, and job creation.

Government modeling forecasts significant reductions in carbon emissions from industry, electricity, transport, and buildings over the next three decades. It also anticipates increased reliance on direct air capture and land use for carbon neutralization, with a particular focus on forestry. However, the agriculture sector poses challenges, as the modeling predicts only a modest net reduction of around 20 percent, making it the largest individual source of emissions in the state by 2050.

While the strategy emphasizes electrification and energy-efficiency improvements in the buildings sector, it does not explicitly mention the HVAC&R industry. Nonetheless, HVAC&R is expected to play a role in the suite of initiatives outlined in the report aimed at the building sector, scheduled for completion by 2027.