Latest news with #emissionstarget
Daily Mail
17 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Australia's youngest senator, 21, launches a furious attack on Pauline Hanson: 'All I can say is, are you kidding?'
Australia's youngest senator has blasted Pauline Hanson and suggested the One Nation leader is stupid for trying to scrap the nation's net zero target. Ms Hanson, 71, introduced a motion on Monday to scrap Australia's net zero emissions target, claiming the goal continues to 'destroy jobs and the Australian economy.' 'Power bills are out of control. Manufacturing is being wiped out. And ordinary Australians are paying the price, while out-of-touch politicians and inner-city idealists push fantasy policies they'll never have to live under,' Ms Hanson said. 'We are being led by fools. Shame on every politician who continues to push this madness. I will not stand by while Australia is driven into the ground.' But before the vote, new Labor senator for South Australia Charlotte Walker, 21, slammed Ms Hanson — and suggested that Ms Hanson struggled to grasp the concept. 'All I can say is, are you kidding?' she said. 'The motion put forward on net zero indicates a severe lack of knowledge and a complete disregard for the future of our generation, the future of our country. 'Without a net zero target, there will be no Australian farmers, businesses or industries to support us. 'Net zero is waking up to a reality that Senator Hanson has not been able to grasp. In fact, Senator Hanson seems to be hellbent on exacerbating all of the consequences of climate change.' In the end the motion from Ms Hanson ultimately failed with only he four One Nation senators, United Australia Party senator Ralph Babet and Coalition senators Matt Canavan and Alex Antic voting in its favour. 'Labor, the Greens and the crossbench voted it down. And the Liberals? Cowards. They had the notice. They had the time. And they still ran for the exits. Not one of them had the guts to stand and be counted,' Ms Hanson said. Meanwhile, Former Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce on Monday launched a seperate bid to repeal the net-zero emissions by 2050 reduction target. But his private member's bill is guaranteed to fail, because it lacks the support of the government which has a majority in the House of Representatives. Opposition Leader Sussan Ley maintains the coalition will wait until after a review of its disastrous May election loss before making formal policy decisions. Despite a growing number of Liberal politicians speaking out against stronger climate change action, she doubled down on waiting for the review. 'We're going to bring all of those views together ... to flesh out the different perspectives, the expert advice and, of course, focus on this government's miserable failure when it comes to energy policy,' she told Sky News. Asked about the political impact of dumping the climate target, Ms Ley said she would not foreshadow the review's outcome. Many Liberal moderates want the net-zero target retained so the party is seen to be taking climate action seriously. But Mr Joyce said there was no reason why abandoning the targets should be off the table. 'This is not about leadership. This is not about trying to create some sort of discordant note,' he told reporters ahead of the bill's introduction. 'There's not anything in this bill that the coalition didn't have the same position we voted for.' Mr Joyce has the backing of his former leadership rival Michael McCormack. The two ex-deputy prime ministers are critical of Nationals leader David Littleproud's handling of the aftermath of the election defeat. The coalition reunited at the end of May following a messy week-long split driven by divisions which included energy policy.
Reuters
2 days ago
- Business
- Reuters
UN urges Australia to step up climate action
SYDNEY, July 28 (Reuters) - The United Nations climate chief has called on Australia to set an ambitious 2035 emissions target and accelerate its clean energy transition, warning a failure to act risks eroding living standards and regional stability. Simon Stiell, executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, said Australia should "go for what's smart by going big". "Don't settle for what's easy. Bog standard is beneath you," he said at a Smart Energy Council event in Sydney. Australia faces scrutiny for backing new fossil fuel projects while seeking to co-host the UN COP31 climate summit with the Pacific next year. The centre-left Labor government, which took power in 2022 with a mandate to reduce carbon emissions, cleared the country's largest gas plant to run until 2070 in May – a decision that critics said called into question Australia's commitment to tackling climate change. Australia is also among the highest polluting countries per capita due to its coal power generation. Consultancy Wood Mackenzie has projected Australia is set to fall far short of its target of 82% renewable generation by 2030 due to state-level rollbacks, grid connection delays and inadequate investment. Stiell said the country's 2035 emissions reduction target, due in September, would be a 'defining moment' that could send a message that 'this country is open for clean investment, trade, and long-term partnerships'. Australia also had the opportunity to become a global leader in renewables and that 'doubling down on clean energy is an economic no-brainer', he said. He warned that a lack of action would erode living standards and destabilise Australia's neighbours in the Pacific and Southeast Asia, which were more susceptible to rising sea levels and extreme weather. 'This is the moment: to get behind a climate plan that doesn't just write that vision into policy – but delivers in spades for your people,' Stiell said.
The Guardian
14-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Chris Bowen mocks Liberals' equivocation on ‘bare minimum' target of net zero by 2050
Chris Bowen has ridiculed the Liberal party for putting net zero by 2050 up for review after its election defeat, comparing it to putting the 'sky being blue' up for debate. The climate change and energy minister also warned that breaking Australia's bi-partisan commitment to the 'bare minimum' emissions target risked creating a sovereign risk for renewables investors. The new Liberal leader, Sussan Ley, on Tuesday left the door open to walking away from net zero, after declaring all the party's policies would be reviewed after the disastrous election result. Ley said she would not ignite a fresh 'climate war', insisting there would be 'sound, sensible consultation' on the party's future climate and energy policies. On Wednesday, Bowen said Ley's assurance was 'difficult to reconcile'. 'I mean, if you're going to review net zero, I'm sorry, you're keeping the climate wars going,' he told reporters in Canberra. 'Particularly if you decide to scrap net zero – that's keeping the climate wars going.' Ahead of the 2021 UN climate summit, then prime minister Scott Morrison signed the Coalition up to net zero by 2050 as Australia faced intense pressure to raise its game. Peter Dutton and the Nationals leader, David Littleproud, retained the commitment in the previous term, with nuclear power pitched as the key to achieving the target. But the Coalition's support for the policy is now up in the air, with the Nationals also set to review its position – even after senator Matt Canavan failed in his bid to replace Littleproud on a platform of dumping net zero. As of June last year, 104 countries had signed up to the target. Bowen said that if the Liberals ultimately decided to abandon the target, it would prove Canavan and his allies were 'calling the shots'. 'Net zero by 2050 is not a policy, it's the bare minimum framework that you have to work under,' he said. 'If Sussan Ley is saying that's up for review, she might as well say 'the sun is coming up tomorrow is up for review', or the 'sky being blue is up for review'.' The re-elected Albanese government has its own emissions debate to resolve, with a 2035 target due later this year. Bowen confirmed he was still awaiting Climate Change Authority advice on the new target, which was originally due in February but was delayed to allow time to assess the impact of Donald Trump's return. He could not provide a timeframe for a decision but said the target would be released 'well and truly' before the next UN climate summit in Belém, Brazil, in November. Australia is vying with Turkey to host next year's COP31 summit, with a decision on the successful bidder expected within months. The global climate negotiations and trade show would be a major coup for Australia, drawing tens of thousands of people to Albanese's preferred host city, Adelaide. As climate change minister of the host nation, Bowen would be the natural choice for COP president, a rotating role that would put him in charge of organising and running the talks. Asked on Wednesday if he had turned his mind to the position, Bowen said: 'That's something we'll have more to say when the bid is confirmed'. In anticipation of a successful COP bid, Albanese created a new climate related-special envoy role – to be filled by Labor MP Kate Thwaites – to help lighten the load on Bowen. Josh Wilson, as the assistant minister for climate change and energy, would also help out.
