CANBERRA, Australia (AP) – Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Tuesday that the country will cut its emissions 35% below 2005 levels by 2030, but will not commit to that goal at the climate summit in the UN in Scotland.
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Morrison said his government will stick to Australia’s current 2030 target of reducing emissions 26-28% below 2005 levels. The targets were adopted at the Paris climate summit in 2015 and are relatively modest. compared to the ambitions of other rich countries.
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“We will get there and exceed it,” Morrison said of the 2030 target. “We will exceed it with emission reductions that we believe will be up to 35% and we may even achieve more,” he added.
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Australia has already reduced emissions by more than 20% from 2005 levels, he said.
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Your country will commit to the goal of zero emissions by 2050 at the Glasgow conference.
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Climate experts indicate that achieving that goal will require much more severe measures than those the government is proposing.
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Morrison’s conservative Liberal Party was narrowly re-elected in the 2019 elections thanks to a climate policy that opposed the zero-emissions goal by 2050 adopted by the opposition center-left Labor Party.
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Australia is one of the world’s leading exporters of coal and liquefied natural gas. Morrison said his zero-emission plan would not shut down coal or gas production, or increase the costs of homes and businesses in Australia.
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“This is not a revolution, but a careful evolution to take advantage of changes in our markets,” said Morrison.
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