A proposed clean energy target would not be enough to meet Australia's Paris climate agreement commitments, a leading academic says.
A report by Chief Scientist Alan Finkel has recommended a clean energy target replace the existing renewable energy target in 2020.
Under the CET, generators would receive certificates for the electricity they produce in proportion to how far their emissions intensity is below a set threshold - which Dr Finkel has left to governments to determine.
New eligible generators would receive certificates for all electricity generated, while existing eligible generators could receive certificates for any electricity that they produce above their historic output.
Australian National University's Professor Frank Jotzo, a leading environmental economist, said the Finkel report talked of a 28 per cent reduction in carbon emissions from electricity by 2030.
Australia's commitment is to reduce emissions to 26-28 per cent on 2005 levels by 2030 across the entire economy.
"The worry is that governments will take Finkel's 28 per cent reduction for the electricity sector as its target and thereby fail to achieve the economy-wide reduction by 2030, because less will be done in other parts of the economy," Prof Jotzo said.
"This would set Australia on a long-term emissions trajectory that is higher than it needs to be and out of line with the larger objectives."
Electricity generation accounts for about 35 per cent of Australia's emissions.
Industrial processes, transport, households, agriculture, waste, land use change and forestry are also responsible for emissions.
Dr Finkel wrote in his report the proposed CET would provide an "anchor point for Australia's long-term emissions trajectory".
