The Australian election results on Saturday will determine the climate agenda for one the world’s worst per capita CO2 emitters. It comes as the world faces a Rapidly closing window to stop the most severe impacts of climate change.
The country, dubbed a “wrecker” at climate change negotiations, is a major exporter of fossil fuels, largely to East Asia and India. It has been criticized for grossly insufficient climate targets by the UK and US as well as its neighboring Pacific nations who Their homes could be at risk as sea levels rise.
Voters are confronted with record flooding and droughts and want more climate action
While Australians want climate change action, major parties have not mentioned it in their election campaigns.
However, polls clearly indicate that voters favor stronger climate action in “sunburned” land. Wildfires and floods can be deadly and costly.In recent years, climate change has been closely linked to many businesses. Some big businesses, once against emissions cuts, have also done a U-turn on climate policy. The country is Extremely vulnerable for the effects of climate crisis.
“Australians feel and see climate damage now,” said Kelly O’Shanassy chief executive of the Australian Conservation Foundation.
Despite the public support, the major parties competing for votes in the tight election have not received sufficient votes. We barely mentionPeter Christoff is a senior research fellow at Melbourne Climate Futures, which is part of University of Melbourne.
Christoff said, “And this is really quite concerning.
Australian political parties are in a long ‘climate War’
Wildfires in 2021: Australians already feel the effects of climate change
Since 2007, Australia’s two major parties, Labor Party and Liberal Party, both led by Scott Morrison, the incumbent Prime Minister, have been in an electoral mess. open warMultiple leaders were forced to resign due to disagreements over climate change policies.
Christoff said that the public vitriol over political exchanges, especially over an emissions trading scheme and a carbon tax and price on carbon, led to some ugly politics in Australia over a fifteen-year period.
Labor believes it The supposedly lost “climate vote” in 2019 was lostTo the Liberals Because of a backlashIts strong climate policies and job fear in key seats in coal-mining regions are a direct result of its strong climate policies.
Coal lobby pushing against climate protection policies
Australia is the second largest coal exporter in the world. And because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, rising coal prices mean Australia will likely earn 100 billion Australian dollars (67 billion, $70 billion) in one year from coal.
Between 100,000 and 300,000 Australian jobsAccording to an independent Australian think tank, The Centre for Policy Development, those who are connected to coal, oil, and gas could be at risk if they don’t prepare for the shift to fossil fuels.
Major parties are weak in climate
To date, the conservatives have stymied significant action on climate change blocking a major emissions trading scheme, Climate research funding is being cut. subsidizing and allowing fossil fuel production to expand and abolishing the government-funded Climate Commission.
At the 2021 UN climate conference in Glasgow, the government refused to budge from its 2030 emission cuts of 26% to 28% on 2005 levels one of the weakest targets in the developed world. The UN Climate Action Tracker rates Australia’s emissions and net-zero targets as “poor” and “highly insufficient,” putting it on a path to more than 3 degrees Celsius warming.
The Liberal Party is going into the 2022 elections. Promised net-zero by 2020, but has This is a difficult thing to overlook.. It has also pledged to continue Australia’s exports of coal and gas beyond 2050 and has included fossil fuels in its domestic energy plan.
Labor This election is currently predicted to winHas also pledged to be net-zero by 2050, and Stronger emission reductions of 43% by 2030. It has pledged tens of billions of dollars to revitalize the nation’s energy grid and install solar banks and batteries. But it says it won’t stop exporting coal and gas.
A new climate force in the nation?
Support for the Australian Green Party as well as climate-minded independents is on the rise
Australia is dominated by two main parties. But Labor and the Liberals are dragging their heels on climate changes. This has opened the door for new challengers.
A group of independents, dubbed “the teals,” are competing with Liberal lawmakers for urban seats. Mostly women, they receive funding from a group called Climate 200 a relatively new political fund established by clean energy investor Simon Holmes a Court and have campaigned on climate, integrity, and gender equality. They all have ambitious 2030 emission targets. Targets for reduction of 50% to 70% by 2030
They appear to be drawing moderate Liberal voters who are disillusioned at the lack of action on climate change. Recent polling has shown that several key seats are in danger.
Meanwhile, the Greens have enjoyed a surge and are now polling at about 15% nationally compared to 10% in the 2019 election. They have promised to Reduce emissions by 75% by 2030Go net-zero by 2035 and phase out the burning, mining, and exporting of coal by 2030.
Depending on how the election results are interpreted, both the Greens as well as the teal candidates could wield significant influence over the government.
Tech billionaire vies to end coal
Federal treasurer Josh Frydenberg could lose his seat to an independent climate-friendly member
Businesses also demand more action. In one example, Australian tech billionaire Mike Cannon-BrookesHe is trying to use his wealth for good. AGL must be forced to leave coal-fired power generation by energy giant AGL
Even the Business Council of Australia which represents big banks and corporations, such as industrial and retail giant Wesfarmers, mining companies BHP and Rio Tinto and airline Qantas is now also calling for major emission cuts by 2030. This is a major shift for the organisation that called for 45% reductions in emissions in 2018. “An economy wrecking target.”
O’Shanassy, ACF, stated that “It’s not the community that’s holding back the Australian political Parties on climate action and neither the business community.” “Everyone wants climate action, except for those who go to Parliament House.”
But Neither Labor’s nor the Liberals’ goals are sufficientto bring Australia in line avec its Paris Commitments. Emissions reductions of at most 50% by 2030According to some estimates, this is what’s needed to keep it below the 2 degree threshold and 75% for the 1.5-degree target.
Australia has huge potential for solar and wind
ACF believes the next government should take advantage of the country’s huge solar and wind potential and could quickly cut emissions while preserving jobs by replacing fossil fuel exports with products created with renewable energy such as hydrogen and ammonia.
“We must use the huge amount of renewable power we have in this nation. O’Shanassy stated that we need to multiply it by ten, then export that energy and stop exporting pollution to other countries. “That would be our greatest contribution towards climate change.”
Edited By: Jennifer Collins
