Australia sets 2050 net zero emissions target
Coal-rich Australia unveiled a much-delayed 2050 net zero emissions target yesterday, in a plan that pointedly dodged thorny details or near-term goals ahead of a landmark UN climate summit.
Widely seen as a climate laggard, Australia is one of the world's largest coal and gas exporters.
For the last eight years, its conservative government has resisted action to reduce emissions, routinely approving new coal projects and peddling scepticism about climate change.
Under domestic and international pressure, Prime Minister Scott Morrison yesterday announced a shift in approach and acknowledged the "world is changing".
Australians want policy that "does the right thing on climate change", he said, adding the phenomenon "is real, it's happening. We understand it and we recognise it."
Just how Australia will get to net zero by 2050 carbon emissions remains unclear, with the government refusing to release its modelling.
The plan would invest US$15 billion in low-emission technologies over the next decade, but it also leans heavily on unproven technologies and carbon offsets, which critics deride as an accounting gimmick.
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