Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce says it’s not the government’s job to come up with a plan to reach net zero

The government has been urged to come up with a plan for greater climate action, but the Deputy Prime Minister says that’s not its job.

Barnaby Joyce says there must be plan to reach a net-zero climate target but claims that work must be done by someone other than the government.

A major climate report, released on Monday, warned that the planet was poised to be 1.5 degrees warmer within 10 years. United Nations secretary-general Antonio Guterres declared the climate report card was a “code red for humanity” and urged nations to take greater action.

Speaking with ABC’s Radio National, the Deputy Prime Minister said he understood the “emotion” behind the call for greater action, but he would not budge until the cost of climate action was revealed.

“If you're going to just make an arbitrary claim, oh we’ll get to 2050, that’s fine, understand the emotion and understand almost a moral perspective of it, but you must lie down the plan,” he said.

Barnaby Joyce says he can understand the moral argument for climate change but won’t act without a plan. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

But host Fran Kelly took Mr Joyce to task, asking him if the government was working on the plan it keeps referring to before moving forward.

“With respect Barnaby Joyce, you’re the Deputy Prime Minister of this government. It is your government that you’re asking to come up with a plan. Where are you at with the plan?” she asked.

Mr Joyce claimed it was not the responsibility of the government to come up with the blueprint.

“We don’t actually come up with the plan. The CSIRO, other competent people, come up with the plan,” he said

Ms Kelly also quizzed Mr Joyce – in the wake of the IPCC report – on whether he had considered the cost of climate inaction.

“You talk about a clear understanding of where the costs are. If we look at the impact that this IPCC report says increased emissions will have on particularly, you know, your constituents … don’t we also need to and have you looked at the cost of not taking the action?” she asked.

“If that's the issue, if you have a carte blanche, and it doesn’t matter, then we really can go back to saying anything, anything is allowed,” Mr Joyce responded.

Mr Joyce’s remarks signal another headache for Scott Morrison as he looks towards a major UN climate change summit in November.

Scott Morrison is under pressure from world leaders to adopt more ambitious climate targets. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

Mr Morrison has been under rising pressure to adopt more ambitious climate targets, with concerns Australia could be left isolated on the world stage in Glasgow if it does not.

On Tuesday, he flagged he would update Australia’s 2030 emissions projections at the summit. Mr Morrison has previously said he wants to to achieve net zero “preferably” by 2050, but he faces significant negotiation with the Nationals before adopting any formal commitment.