New climate policies are being debated in the Senate this week. 

The Senate is currently debating policies to help meet the country's emissions reduction targets, and Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen has warned that if parliament does not pass the ‘safeguard mechanism’ reforms, which aim to force Australia's largest polluters to reduce their emissions by 4.9 per cent per year, emissions will only fall by 35 per cent by 2030. 

Bowen has called on MPs who demanded greater emissions reductions than the 43 per cent Labor promised at the last election to support the legislation. 

Greens leader Adam Bandt has opposed the reforms, stating that coal and gas emissions must not be allowed to increase. 

A Carbon Market Institute report has found that 50 per cent of voters surveyed support the proposed changes. 

While the Australian Conservation Foundation has argued for stronger limits on carbon offsets and an end to funding for new coal and gas projects, the organisation still supports the safeguard mechanism as a start to tackling emissions. 

Senator Jacqui Lambie has backed the legislation, but remains concerned about the effects of the reforms on Tasmanian manufacturing facilities.

Also this week, analysis by the Australia Institute shows that the emissions from Australia’s 116 currently proposed coal and gas projects would swamp the reductions from the safeguard mechanism. 

The 116 new fossil fuel projects would emit about 4,823Mt of pollution, while abatement from the safeguard mechanism is expected to reach just 205Mt.