Aust to miss Paris target by 19 per cent

Australia is projected to miss its Paris emissions reduction target by 19 per cent in 2030, but bureaucrats are confident estimates will positively shift.

Students rally against the government's climate change policies in Sydney last year. Source: AAP

Although government projections show Australia will miss its 2030 emissions reduction target by 19 per cent, bureaucrats are confident the Paris agreement can be met.

Projections released last December show Australia will cut its emissions by seven per cent, based on 2005 levels by 2030, which is much lower than the 26 to 28 per cent reduction goal set by the Paris agreement.

But at a Senate estimates hearing in Canberra on Monday, senior bureaucrat at the Department of Environment and Energy Jo Evans said the projections were overly conservative and she was confident the target can be met.