The WA government says it is considering legislating its commitment to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

But Premier Mark McGowan has not committed to stopping new oil, coal or gas exploration or infrastructure in the wake of a new report which has found the Earth is heating quicker than expected and may be just 10 years away from heating up by more than 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Mr McGowan said his government had already committed to the 2050 target.

"We can look at [legislating] that. That's one of the considerations that we're examining it," he said.

"That would obviously bind future governments, but this is the way the world is going."

In response to the report by the world's most authoritative body on climate science, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), experts said there should be no new oil, coal or gas exploration or infrastructure.

But when Mr McGowan was asked if he was prepared for the Woodside Scarborough gas project off the state's north-west to be shelved, he said it was complex.

"I realise that a lot of people just say, 'Just stop everything,'" he told ABC Radio Perth.

"If we stop gas in Western Australia, well, basically we shut down a lot of our electricity system, we shut down Alcoa, we shut down a lot of the businesses here.

"It's more complex. You've got to have complex solutions."

He said Woodside was "moving a long way in the direction of removing emissions".

But given Chevron failed to meet the emissions targets for its Gorgon LNG project off the Pilbara coast, it was suggested to the Premier these emissions targets were important.

"So, you want me to close down the gas industry?" he asked.

Legislation welcomed but more 'action needed'

The Conservation Council of WA (CCWA) said it was significant that the state government was considering legislating an emissions target, given that stakeholders had been calling for this for sometime.

CCWA director Piers Verstegen said the Premier's comments were an encouraging sign.

"Legislated targets give certainty to industry and give a sense of direction for the public sector, for business and for the rest of the community," he said.

But Mr Verstegen said the state government's support of new fossil fuel developments including Woodside's Scarborough project meant it was unlikely that WA could meet the target.

"The Scarborough development will double the amount of carbon pollution from the Pluto LNG project on the Burrup Peninsula and that will put any targets out of reach," he said.

"So it's pleasing to hear that the Premier is open to considering legislated targets but we also need action, and that means no new major gas developments like this Scarborough project."

Mr Verstegen said a greenhouse gas abatement plan was approved for the Scarborough project in June but this would require just two per cent of the total emissions from the project to be offset.

In a statement, Woodside said the Scarborough and Pluto Train 2 developments would be amongst the lowest-carbon LNG sources in the world.

The company said the targets agreed to in the abatement plan would put Woodside on track to meet its corporate commitment to reduce emissions by 30 per cent by 2030 and net zero emissions by 2050.

The State government says the abatement plan, approved by the Environment Minister, Amber Jade Sanderson,  will significantly reduce the emissions from the entire Pluto LNG project.

It says the measures will achieve a reduction of about 1.2 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions per year.