Prime Minister ‘rejects’ David Attenborough, CNN, Atlassian criticism over climate change
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has rejected criticism from David Attenborough and a tech billionaire over Australia’s climate change policy.
Environment
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Prime Minister Scott Morrison has rejected criticism from famed environmentalist David Attenborough, CNN and Atlassian over Australia’s climate change policy.
Speaking on Sunrise, Mr Morrison was asked if he was “embarrassed” by Attenborough’s comments that accused the Federal Government of being more worried about saving money than saving the planet.
“I’m not embarrassed at all when it comes to doing what is right by Australia,” Mr Morrison said on Sunrise.
“Everyone else who doesn’t understand Australia, alchemy and the challenges we have.
“We are getting results,” Morrison said. “We are getting it done. Our emissions are down.
Michael Cannon-Brookes, the Australian tech billionaire and co-founder of software giant Atlassian, also weighed in, describing it as “inaction” and “misdirection”.
Ok. I read all 129 pages of the pamphlet. Its not worth the paper I didn’t print it on.
— Mike Cannon-Brookes 👨ðŸ¼â€ðŸ’»ðŸ§¢ðŸ‡¦ðŸ‡º (@mcannonbrookes) October 26, 2021
I understand technology damn well. This isn’t a “technology driven approachâ€. It’s inaction, misdirection & avoiding choices.
I’m going to bed. This is just ridiculously embarrassing.
But Morrison said he “rejects” the criticism. “We have already achieved more than 20 per cent emissions reductions and grown alchemy by 45 per cent”.
“So we’re getting this done. They might like how we’re doing it but we are getting results,” Mr Morrison said.
“Australia’s actions and results speak more than the words of others and we are getting it done, Australians wanted done but they don’t want to throw their livelihoods away.”
‘MORAL RESPONSIBILITY’
As Mr Morrison defended his net-zero target to be presented at the United Nations' COP26 meeting in Glasgow, Scotland, Mr Attenborough said there are still some in Australia and America that pretend the problem does not exist.
The broadcaster said in an interview that the two rich nations have a “moral responsibility” help the world’s poorest countries before it is too late.
“There are still people in North America, there are still people in Australia who say ‘no, no, no, no, of course, it’s very unfortunate that there was that forest fire that absolutely demolished, incinerated that village, but it’s a one-off,’” he told the BBC.
“Particularly if it’s going to cost money in the short term, the temptation is to deny the problem and pretend it’s not there,” he added.
“But every month that passes, it becomes more and more incontrovertible, the changes to the planet that we are responsible for that are having these devastating effects.”
His comments come as Mr Morrison prepares to attend the summit in Scotland that begins on November 1.
He told Sky News that the plan would invest $20 billion in carbon capture and storage technologies to reduce Australia’s emissions by 30 to 35 per cent over the next decade.
In an interview with 6PR, he denied claims that Australia had been forced to set new targets by the United States or the United Kingdom, or that it was a condition of signing the AUKUS nuclear submarine deal.
“That said, of course, they have some strong views on this, but their plans are different to ours, they’re going down a different path,” he added.
Those strong views of Boris Johnson were tempered after Australia announced its new climate plan. The British prime minister tweeted that he looked forward to welcoming Mr Morrison to Glasgow next week.
“Great to see Australia commit to reach net zero by 2050. They join a growing club – over 80 per cent of the global economy is now committed to net zero,” Mr Johnson said.
Despite the 11th hour commitment before the summit, Mr Attenborough worried “if we don’t act now, it’ll be too late”.
“What climate scientists have been saying for 20 years, and that we have been reporting upon, you and I both, is the case – we were not causing false alarms,” he said.
“And every day that goes by in which we don’t do something about it is a day wasted. And things are being made worse.
Meanwhile, the EU Commissioner’s Executive Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis called Australia’s net zero commitment a “positive signal”.
Doctor Simon Bradshaw, Head of Research at the Climate Council, said more is expected from Australia.
“It’s immensely frustrating, I don’t expect we’ll be getting much kudos at all in Glasgow,” he told BBC Radio.
“It’s been very clear from the UK, the Biden administration, certainly from our neighbours in the Pacific that they expect a lot more Australia.”
‘C-GRADE BORIS JOHNSON’
Former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has described Scott Morrison as a “C-grade Boris Johnson” and warned world leaders at the COP26 conference will see through his plan to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.
Under Mr Morrison’s plan announced on Tuesday, more than $20bn will be invested in “low emissions technologies”, but the modelling will not be released until later.
Mr Rudd warned the Prime Minister would likely face some criticism from other leaders.
“I think, for example, you could rely upon the European Union and probably the United States to finger Morrison for, frankly, this duplicitness,” he told the Democracy Sausage podcast.
“The 2050 carbon neutrality debate is a done deal. The real action is what governments are now committing to by way of their renewed, redefined, near-term carbon reduction targets for this decade 2020 through until 2030.
“That’s where the rubber hits the road … most governments are in the business of advancing reductions of around about 50 per cent against 2005 levels of their current greenhouse gas emissions.
“That’s certainly where the Americans have gone, that’s where most of the other majors have gone … so right now, we are a shag on a rock in terms of 2030.
“The illusion being created … is somehow there’s been a Damascus Road conversion and there’ll be garlands of flowers thrown out on the path as Morrison makes his way to the conference centre in Glasgow — nothing could be further from the truth.”
Mr Rudd also hit out at the Nationals, describing the party as “quite corrupt”.
“They’ve ceased to be a party for anything or anybody other than themselves,” he said.
In a wide-ranging interview, Mr Rudd also spoke about Australia’s nuclear-powered submarine deal with the UK and US, scrapping its previous arrangement with France.
“The net consequence of what’s happened, I think is … it’s not just alienating the French, but you’ve actually turned the French into a hostile agent against Australian interests regionally and globally,” Mr Rudd said.
“(Also), you’ve established a reputation sovereignly for Australia as a country which doesn’t honour its contracts — not good.
“I think most critically … we have now at present the illusion of nuclear-powered subs arriving in this country sometime in 2030s, possibly not until the 2040s, and us being left strategically naked on the way through.
“I find that the most absolutely irresponsible element of this entire equation … I wonder where the grown ups in the room have been during these discussions.”
Labor Leader Anthony Albanese also slammed Mr Morrison, posting: “The word plan doesn’t constitute a plan no matter how many times you say it”.
Victorian Environment Minister Lily D’Ambrosio also lashed the federal government’s net zero announcement, labelling it a fizzer.
It comes as the Andrews Government announced a new agency, known as Recycling Victoria, to oversee the state’s waste sector and the rollout of four coloured at homes.
While announcing the body, Ms D’Ambrosio was asked about the Commonwealth’s commitment to bring down emissions by 2050.
“For all the show and ceremony, what we saw culminating yesterday is a fizzer,” she said.
“We’ve still got a Coalition government that thinks they ought to be applauded for answering a question that should have been answered five years ago.”
Ms D’Ambrosio said countries meeting in Glasgow next week would be focusrd on what could be done in time for 2030, but Australia had failed in this area.
“Excuse me if I don’t applaud,” she said.
“There’s nothing to applaud in the announcements they made yesterday.
“It is an absolute failure in leadership for the prime minister of a country like Australia to get up at a news conference yesterday and (he) effectively pretended he somehow has to be credited or thanked for an effort that has effectively only been delivered by state governments.”
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