Australia on Tuesday announced its goal of net zero emissions by 2050, but avoided short-term targets within days of the UN climate conference.
“Australians want a 2050 net zero emissions plan that does what is needed on climate change and secures their future in a changing world,” Tory Prime Minister Scott Morrison said as he announced the decision.
He declined, however, to bolster emissions reduction targets for 2030, seen as crucial to addressing climate change in any meaningful way, saying he would work to keep the mines open.
“We want our heavy industries, like the mining industry, to remain open, competitive and adapt, so that they remain viable as long as global demand allows,” he wrote in a text published by his office.
Australia, a country with a coal-rich subsoil, had already agreed to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 26-28% by 2030 from 2005 levels, a target Mr. Morrison said. asserted that the country “will reach and beat”.
“We will not be lectured by others who do not understand Australia. The Australian way is how you do things, not if you are going to do them. It’s about getting there, ”he wrote.
“We will not break the commitment we made in the last election by changing our emissions reduction targets for 2030,” he added.
Widely regarded as a climate laggard, Australia is the world’s largest exporter of coal, on which much of its electricity generation relies, and has long resisted the adoption of a carbon neutral target. .
The commitment to 2050 comes just days before Mr Morrison leaves for the UN climate summit COP26, to be held next month in Glasgow.
Canberra has come under increasing criticism for failing to act sooner, including from close allies the United States and Britain, as well as its Pacific island neighbors, who are highly vulnerable to the effects. of climate change.
Mr Morrison did not disclose the details of the plan or the concessions made to his partners in his coalition in government, long dominated by climate skeptics and pro-coal interests, after weeks of tense internal negotiations.