The NSW Liberals used smart politics to fight internal climate wars, but the ALP hasn’t shown that kind of shrewdness.
(Image: AAP/Lukas Coch)
Labor’s inability to resolve internal tensions over climate policy looks starker than ever in light of the Climate Target Panel’s report on just how badly adrift Australia is of meeting its Paris Agreement commitments.
The report cuts through the persistent and routine lying of Scott Morrison and his ministers that Australia is on track for anything other than a trivial reduction in its overall emissions (primarily driven by renewable energy investment the government has tried its best to deter).
To be consistent with the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global warming to well below two degrees, the report concludes: “Australia’s 2030 emissions reduction target must be 50% below 2005 levels. A 2035 target would need to be 67% below 2005 levels. Net-zero emissions would need to be reached by 2045.”
