Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has signalled he will scrap the nation’s legally binding 2030 climate target and risk Australia’s membership of the Paris Agreement on climate change, following his vow to deploy nuclear energy to reach net zero by 2050.
The Paris Agreement commits nations to contributing to action that limits global warming to under 2 degrees – and as close to 1.5 degrees as possible – to avoid the worst damage. “They’re walking away from the Paris Agreement… saying that Australia will join Libya, Yemen and Iran outside the Paris Accord,” said Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen.
The Albanese government is currently committed to more than double the amount of renewable energy to 82 per cent of the grid by 2030 as the key measure to reach its climate target. The government’s renewable plans have been hamstrung by slow development approvals for wind and solar farms, and new transmission lines are running years behind schedule.