The Climate Council says Australia can and should get carbon emissions to net zero by 2035. 

The agency has put out its new report, Aim high, go fast: Why emissions need to plummet this decade.

It says that the world is moving forward, and Australia risks being left behind and subject to de facto carbon taxes from other nations.

There will be strong pressure on Australia to introduce tougher emissions reduction targets at COP26; a UN climate conference in Glasgow in November. 

Experts say European nations in particular, which have been carrying the cost of transitioning to cleaner infrastructure, will seek to level the playing field internationally. 

The US is also expected to ramp up its own emissions reduction target this year, increasing the pressure on countries like Australia to do more.

US President Joe Biden should announce new 2030 targets next week, with some suggesting they will include a 40 per cent carbon emissions reduction by 2030. 

Australia currently has a target for reduction of between 26 and 28 per cent on 2005 levels by 2030.

Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction Angus Taylor says Australia has “a strong 2030 target”

“We are developing a long-term emissions reduction strategy which will be released ahead of COP26,” his spokesperson told reporters last week.

But, the minister does not believe carbon tariffs are a “solution” to rising global emissions.

“We are concerned about the EU's proposal for a carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM),” the spokesperson said.

“Such a mechanism risks becoming a new form of protectionism and undermining international cooperation on climate change.”

The Climate Council report says Australia would need to reduce emissions by 75 per cent by 2030, to achieve net zero by 2035.

Climate Works - a climate policy research group at Monash University - modelled a range of scenarios for the report. 

The models suggest emissions cuts need to come from all sectors. There should also be a focus on energy efficiency, decarbonising the electricity grid, switching to renewable fuels and carbon offsetting.

“It's achievable to have 80 per cent renewables by 2030,” Climate Works' Amandine Denis-Ryan has told the ABC.

“[We also need] a reasonably fast electrification of transport. So 75 per cent of new car sales by 2030 and 60 per cent of new truck sales [need to be electric].”

She said government investment may be needed to leverage the private sector.

“What we need to see is large-scale mechanisms that are going to create that pull, not only by government, but also by the private sectors,” Ms Denis-Ryan said.

“For instance, there's a lot of interest globally at the moment in hydrogen. If capital is deployed at scale in this technology, we could see very strong cost reductions and accelerated deployment by 2030.

“The clean hydrogen export industry in Australia could be as big, or bigger, than coal exports.”