With the u.n climate summit in Glasgow a month away many countries have stepped up their commitments to cut carbon emissions to slow global warming however Australia one of the world’s biggest coal producers is accused of dragging its feet this week its prime minister Scott Morrison said
he may not attend the summit Australia’s carbon emissions per person are among the highest in the world it’s promised to cut them by 28 by 2030 but that’s less than most rich nations and it hasn’t agreed to deliver net-zero emissions by 2050 a key summit target from new south wales here’s our correspondent
shama Khalil the devastating bushfires less than two years ago were the starkest warning yet for Australians experiencing first hand the consequences of a warming planet but Australia’s commitments fall well behind other rich developed countries injury the u.n ranked it last out of 170member nations for
its response to climate change Australia’s record of reducing emissions stands above those who are claiming to achieve bigger things in the future but haven’t achieved it today Australia is the second biggest coal exporter in the world and in the hunter valley it’s the bedrock of the economy at quarry mining they’ve
been manufacturing coal mine drilling equipment for nearly 40 years we hear all the noise about going away from coal and we try to be ready to pivot but we don’t have a road map for that we just don’t know what is next so we don’t know how to do that and it’s incredibly difficult to turn your mind to
that when you’re in such a busy industry as we are now despite the global urgency climate change remains a divisive issue here in Australia it draws in the powerful fossil fuel industry and regional voters like the ones in this mining community or an anti-coal message don’t play well without
the coal mine industry wouldn’t have a job it’s been in my family for as long as I can remember former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull lost his job because of clashes over climate policy within his own party and its coalition partner which is powerful in mining regions right-wing politics has framed climate and
the response to climate as an identity or ideological issue it’s a combination of that plus the fossil fuel lobby and right-wing media it has just been a toxic political battle for years with plenty of suns and wind renewables are growing fast in Australia this zinc refinery in north Queensland is one of
the country’s biggest users of electricity with more than a million solar panels it’s now generating about a quarter of its power from the sun it is the right thing to do it allows us more closely with our customers who are increasingly on an urgent mandate to decarbonize even though it’s on
the front line of this environmental emergency Australia is out of step with its allies when it comes to climate action stuck in a balancing act between its domestic politics and its international reputation.
