Australian senator sparks climate row by dismissing net zero target
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Australia has long been accused of dragging its feet on climate action by the international community.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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SYDNEY (BLOOMBERG) - The Australian government has been forced to deny it is abandoning a commitment to net zero carbon emissions by 2050, after a rogue lawmaker said the climate action target was "sort of dead".
Governing Liberal National party senator Matt Canavan claimed European countries and Britain were all reversing action on climate change and embracing fossil fuels in the wake of Russia's war in Ukraine.
"The net zero thing is all sort of dead," Mr Canavan said in an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation on Tuesday. "It's all over bar the shouting here."
Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced Australia would aim for net zero emissions by 2050 in October 2021, ahead of the Glasgow COP26 conference, after long negotiations with his coalition colleagues in the National Party.
Mr Canavan was one of the strongest voices against embracing net zero at the time.
His comments come at a bad time for the government, which is currently campaigning for a fourth term in power at an election due to be held on May 21.
Strong climate change action is seen as a major deciding factor in several inner city seats which Mr Morrison will need to win, including the electorate of Treasurer Josh Frydenberg.
The government currently holds power by just one seat in Australia's 151-seat Parliament.
Speaking to Channel Nine on Wednesday, Mr Frydenberg was quick to deny there had been any change in the government's climate policy.
"Net zero is a commitment by the Coalition that is clear, that is firm and that is non-negotiable," he said.
Australia has long been accused of dragging its feet on climate action by the international community, despite the country facing an increased risk of catastrophic natural disasters caused by global warming.
In 2019, Australians saw widespread bushfires which devastated much of the country's east coast, while in recent months there has been severe flooding in the states of Queensland and New South Wales.
