Australia has been put on notice by the UN’s climate chief, who urged the country to raise its game on emissions – or risk missing out on huge economic gains.
“Bog standard is beneath you,” Simon Stiell told Australians at a Smart Energy Council event, warning that failure to ramp up ambition would “erode regional stability and living standards”.
As the debate heats up in Canberra over what Australia’s next emissions target should be, Stiell’s blunt assessment lands hard.
The nation’s current pledge is a 43% cut by 2030, however it remains one of the world’s biggest polluters per capita and is still heavily reliant on coal and gas.
Stiell urged Australia to go big on its upcoming 2035 target, calling it a “defining moment”. The country is due to submit its updated Nationally Determined Contribution in September, as part of its commitments under the Paris Agreement.
“Go for what’s smart by going big,” he said. “Consider the alternative: missing the opportunity and letting the world overheat.”
Hours before Stiell’s comments, former Deputy PM Barnaby Joyce – a known climate sceptic – tabled a bill to scrap the country’s 2050 net zero target, claiming it would make “absolutely no difference” to the climate.
His motion is almost certain to fail.
The Labor government has a strong majority and even some of Joyce’s coalition colleagues aren’t backing the move.
But it exposes deep divisions in the opposition as it rethinks climate policy after a brutal election loss in 2022.
Climate has become a defining issue in Australian politics, with PM Anthony Albanese pledging tougher action.
But his government faces growing criticism over its ongoing support for fossil fuel projects – even as it pushes to co-host COP31 with Pacific nations next year.
Aussie’s told their climate targets are ‘bog standard’ appeared first on Energy Live News.