You can’t make a net-zero Australia on a gas cooktop

‘There would almost certainly be uproar if a phase-out of gas appliances was announced … but is this really a radical decision?’ Photograph: Seiya Tabuchi/Getty Images/iStockphoto

In the Climate Change Authority’s inaugural annual review of Australia’s emission reduction progress, it warned us: “There are some hard decisions and trade-offs we, as a society and as individuals, need to make together for a successful transition to a net zero economy.”

In many cases it will fall to politicians to make these trade-offs on our behalf and there will be a range of people and industries significantly affected.