National and international engagement

The Queensland Government maintains strong partnerships with national and international organisations, as countries work together to reduce pollution and adopt low carbon alternatives on a global scale.

Under2 Coalition

In 2017, the Queensland Government signed the international Under2 MOU joining a coalition of subnational governments leading by example to address climate change.

The coalition brings together over 270 governments representing 1.75 billion people and 50% of the global economy.  It is a global community of state and regional governments committed to ambitious climate action in line with the Paris Agreement.

It records those regional and local governments that have accepted the shared goal of:

• limiting warming to below 2° Celsius with efforts to reach 1.5°C.
• Over 40 states and regions have committed to reach net zero emissions by 2050 or earlier. This is essential to limit global temperature rise.

Queensland’s membership under the Under2 MoU was invalidated due to requirements under a Federal Foreign Arrangements Scheme at the end of 2021. Queensland is currently in the process of re-joining the Under2 MoU.

Annual Global Carbon Disclosure Report

As part of Queensland’s participation each year we publicly report on our climate actions.

The CDP (formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project) and the Climate Group publish the Annual Disclosure Report providing a transparent and global picture of state and regional climate ambition and progress towards their targets. See further information on the 2020 Global States and Regions Annual Disclosure Report.

Zero Net Emissions Target

Queensland adopted a target for a zero net emissions economy by 2050 in 2017, aligning with the objectives of the Paris Agreement to keep average global warming below 2 degrees Celsius and as close to 1.5°C as possible.

Every Australian state and territory now have zero net emissions by 2050 target, or even sooner. By adopting these common targets, the states and territories are leading the way to ensure Australia meets its international obligations and plays our part in limiting climate change.

Nearly 70 countries around the world have set carbon neutral targets and can communicate their 2050 strategies to the United Nations Climate Change Framework Secretariat.

Climate KIC Australia

Climate KIC (Knowledge and Innovation Community) Australia is a partnership between private, research and non-government organisations to foster innovation and help businesses to pioneer products and services for solutions to a changing climate. We are a partner of the Business Renewables Centre-Australia (BRC-A), launched in Queensland in 2019.

Sustainable fuels

Queensland has joined the below 50 campaign which promotes the use of sustainable fuels that produce at least 50% less carbon emissions than conventional fossil fuels.

Interjurisdictional collaboration

We participate in several national forums that enable collaboration on climate change policies and programs across Australia. For example, we are an active participant in the Cross-Jurisdictional Community of Practice for Climate Science and the Adaptation Working Group that enable the states and territories to share information and resources, align programs to shared objectives, and avoid unnecessary duplication of effort. This collaborative approach by the states and territories helps to deliver better and more consistent climate policy and more efficient program delivery.