Scott Morrison ‘more likely’ to attend COP26 climate summit in Glasgow amid a warning from Prince Charles
Scott Morrison is leaning towards attending a historic summit of world leaders to discuss climate change, as Prince Charles weighed in on the issue.
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Scott Morrison is leaning towards attending next month’s crucial climate change summit in Glasgow.
The Prime Minister had indicated in recent weeks that he was unlikely to make the trip, after several 14-day stints in quarantine for overseas visits.
But News Corp understands Mr Morrison is now more likely to go, in recognition of the importance of the summit to secure a new global emissions reduction agreement.
He has been under pressure from world leaders to attend, including UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has also pushed him to back net zero by 2050 and set a more ambitious 2030 target.
Prince Charles, when told that Mr Morrison may not attend because of concerns about quarantining, said: “Is that what he says, is it?”
“This is a last chance saloon. If we don’t really take the decisions that are vital now, it’s going to be almost impossible to catch up,” Princes Charles said.
Mr Morrison will spend this week negotiating Australia’s emissions reductions plan and a commitment to new targets with Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce.
If the Prime Minister makes the trip, he will likely also attend the G20 summit in Rome at the end of this month.
Health Minister Greg Hunt would not confirm if the Prime Minister would be attending COP26.
However, he said Australia would be represented at “a very high level”.
“I’m confident that we will be well represented,” Mr Hunt said.
“We will make significant commitments and we will always have a plan to deliver on those commitments, whilst protecting jobs and putting downward pressure on electricity prices.”
It comes as Prince Charles, a lifelong environmentalist who has championed organic gardening and runs one of his cars on white wine and cheese, has urged Mr Morrison and other world leaders to turn talk into action at the upcoming UN climate summit.
Queen Elizabeth II’s eldest son and heir, 72, is due to attend events at the two-week COP26 summit in Glasgow starting on October 31, along with his 95-year-old mother.
In a BBC interview broadcast on Monday, the Prince of Wales was asked specifically about Australia and Mr Morrison during a discussion about climate change and the COP26 conference.
When asked what he would say to a government such as Australia’s that appears hesitant to make emissions reduction commitments needed to stave off devastating climate change, Charles replied: “You gently try to suggest there may be other ways of doing things, in my case.
“Otherwise, you lot accuse me of interfering and meddling, don’t you?”
BBC climate editor Justin Rowlatt told the future king that Mr Morrison is undecided on attending the COP26 conference, and asked why leaders should attend.
“Well, that’s what I’m trying to say all the time, and the point being that this is a last chance saloon, literally,” the Prince responded.
“Because if we don’t really take the decisions that are vital now, it’s going to be almost impossible to catch up.”
He said he worried that world leaders would “just talk”, adding: “The problem is to get action on the ground.” The UN summit will try to persuade major developing economies to do more to cut their carbon emissions, and get the rich world to cough up billions more dollars to help poorer countries adapt to climate change.
When asked if Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s UK government was doing enough itself against climate change, Charles replied: “I couldn’t possibly comment.” Johnson on Monday held talks with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, and directly urged him to do more to cut emissions.
India is the world’s third-highest emitter of greenhouse gases and relies on coal for nearly 70 per cent of its electricity generation.
But it is resisting international pressure to set a target date for emissions to reach net zero, arguing the onus is on richer countries with higher emission rates per capita.
Johnson “underlined the importance of making concrete progress on climate change” before and at the Glasgow summit, Downing Street said in a statement.
“He noted that India already lead the world in renewable technology and expressed his hope that they will commit to a more ambitious Nationally Determined Contribution and to achieving Net Zero emissions,” it added.
The Prince of Wales warned that the failure to act would have dire consequences, saying the world had taken “far too long” to take climate change seriously.
The summit aims to secure new commitments to reduce carbon emissions to prevent runaway global warming.
“The risks now are so great if you don’t make the right move. It’ll be catastrophic,” he said.
“It is already beginning to be catastrophic, because nothing in nature can survive the stress that is created by these extremes of weather.” He expressed sympathy with climate protesters, who have been blocking roads in Britain for several weeks as part of a campaign to make homes more environmentally efficient.
“I totally understand the frustration,” he said, as the government tries to get tough with the demonstrators, who have caused gridlock to rush-hour traffic with sit-down protests and by gluing themselves to tarmac.
“All these young people feel nothing is ever happening so of course they’re going to get frustrated,” he added, stressing: “But it isn’t helpful, I don’t think, to do it in a way that alienates people.
“So I totally understand the frustration, the difficulty is how do you direct that frustration in a way that is more constructive rather than destructive.” Charles, whose Highgrove estate in western England has an entirely organic garden and farm, also outlined some of his own actions to reduce his carbon footprint, including cutting down on meat and fish.
In 2008, his office revealed he had converted an Aston Martin car he owns to run on biofuel made from surplus English white wine and whey from cheese manufacturing.
Other cars in his fleet had been adapted to run on biodiesel made from used cooking oil, as a way to reduce his carbon footprint.
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