{"id":70411,"date":"2023-01-30T05:38:20","date_gmt":"2023-01-29T19:08:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/?p=70411"},"modified":"2023-01-30T05:38:20","modified_gmt":"2023-01-29T19:08:20","slug":"nsw-veos-emissions-mb2807","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/nsw-veos-emissions-mb2807\/","title":{"rendered":"NSW Vehicle Emissions Offset Scheme An Indulgence?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"NSW<\/p>\n

When New South Wales drivers go to renew their vehicle registration, they now have the option of also offsetting their emissions.<\/p>\n

First, about the “indulgence” bit. Starting in the Middle Ages, indulgences<\/a> were offered by the Catholic Church as a way to reduce the amount of God’s punishment one had to undergo for sins committed. As the practice evolved, or mutated, it became increasingly tied to money.<\/p>\n

In the modern era, carbon offsets could be considered a type of indulgence. It’s the same sort of concept, but with the planet’s wrath involved instead of the Almighty’s.<\/p>\n

The New South Wales government has begun offering access to indulgences<\/span> carbon offsets for the “sin” of driving an internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle. Last week NSW Treasurer and Minister for Energy Matt Kean announced NSW drivers can voluntarily choose to offset their vehicle\u2019s carbon emissions each year when they renew their rego.<\/p>\n

There won’t be any potentially dodgy international offsets involved. These will all be true-blue, fair dinkum and recently blessed<\/a> Australian offsets provided via the scheme’s official provider partner Corporate Carbon Advisory (CCA).<\/p>\n

Corporate Carbon<\/a> has been in the offsets game\u00a0 for close to thirteen years and says it has been involved with more than a hundred carbon projects under the Emissions Reduction Fund. These projects have delivered 10 million ACCUs (Australian Carbon Credit Units) to the Clean Energy Regulator (CER) and commercial clients.<\/p>\n

So, what types of projects are associated with the Vehicle Emissions Offset Scheme (VEOS)? According to the company:<\/p>\n

“With VEOS, you can offset the carbon emissions from your daily commute and support projects that regenerate bushland and re-establish native forests. So, don’t just renew your registration, renew your commitment to a sustainable future with VEOS.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Regenerating bushland and re-establishing native forests done right are Very Good Things. Plus, Mr. Kean says it will help NSW reach its targets of 70 per cent emissions reduction by 2035 and net zero by 2050. But some argue offsets can be a form of “greenwashing” and take the urgency out of focusing on reducing emissions from the activity being offset.<\/p>\n

It will be interesting to see how many NSW ICE drivers feel a twinge of guilt when renewing their registration and opt-in.\u00a0 Those who do so can offset any amount between $5 and $200. Mr. Kean noted it will cost $80 in offsets for the average car annually.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe transport sector is responsible for about 22 per cent of all NSW emissions, with almost 50 per cent coming from passenger vehicles,” he stated<\/a>. “More and more NSW drivers are opting for electric vehicles (EVs) each year, however this scheme gives those drivers who haven\u2019t made the switch yet the option to offset their emissions instead.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And that’s a lot of drivers. More information on the VEOS scheme can be found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

How Is NSW Supporting EV Uptake?<\/h2>\n

Mr. Kean mentioned electric vehicles<\/a> and the good news is the New South Wales Government is doing a fair bit on this front, encouraging uptake through:<\/p>\n