The Federal Coalition confirmed to drop Australia’s 2030 climate target to cut emissions by 43 per cent, arguing it is unattainable, ABC Australia reported.
Peter Dutton told The Australian that the government’s renewable energy target was unachievable as “there’s no sense in signing up to targets you don’t have any prospect of achieving.” He pointed to delays in the rollout of renewable energy and said nuclear power must be deployed to replace fossil fuels.
The Coalition argues that Labor will fail to meet the target but will do significant damage to Australian industry. Despite, it remains committed to achieving zero emissions by 2050, arguing that nuclear power has a key role to play in achieving this goal.
Shadow Energy Minister Ted O’Brien said: “If Labor is going to achieve its 2030 targets, which industry is it going to attack? Is it manufacturing, is it agriculture, is it resources? The only way now that Labor can achieve its 2030 target, is to collapse industry. We will not have a bar of it from the Coalition.”
The latest projections from the Office of Climate Change say Australia is not on track to meet its 2030 target. However, if the government implements the promised policies, the country could come very close to reaching the target.
The hard work will largely be done by the energy sector, and the government has made a separate commitment to ensure the national grid runs on 82 per cent renewable energy by 2030. The coalition argues that this too will be impossible to fulfil, and is preparing to detail a very different energy policy – relying more on gas.
Withdrawal from the Paris Agreement
The Federal Government strongly criticised the announcement, arguing that it threatens Australia’s international reputation and industry confidence. It is therefore impossible to revise the 2030 target backwards without withdrawing from the Paris Agreement.
Energy Minister Chris Bowen said the Coalition needed to be clear on how it would deal with it. He said: “The Paris Accord is very clear – you can’t backslide, you can’t reduce your commitments. So is Peter Dutton proposing to leave the Paris Accord, or is he just hoping no one notices? At the moment, the countries outside the Paris Accord are Libya, Yemen and Iran. Is Mr Dutton proposing to take Australia into that company?”
The Coalition argues that the Labor Party will fail to meet the 2030 target and must give its own explanation of how it will meet the Paris commitments.
But the statement has also been criticised by climate groups who say Australia is on track to meet the 2030 target. For instance, Jennifer Rayner from the Climate Council said abandoning the targets would be a step backwards. She said: “Peter Dutton is talking about doing a huge U-turn on the momentum and progress Australia is already making.”
Kelly O’Shannessy from the Australian Conservation Foundation said the cost of abandoning the targets would be significant. She stressed: “Mr Dutton’s plans would be an international disgrace and it would trash our relationships with key allies who are depending on Australia to adhere to keeping 1.5 degrees alive.”
As part of the Paris Agreement, Australia committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 43 per cent compared to 2005 levels by the end of the decade. Therefore, abandoning this target would also mean withdrawing from the Paris Agreement.
