Marise Payne to face UK demands for carbon commitments

The foreign minister is set to be confronted with demands for Australia to implement stronger carbon emissions targets.

Foreign Minister Marise Payne. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Bianca De Marchi

Foreign Minister Marise Payne will be confronted with demands for Australia to implement stronger carbon emissions commitments, as well as contribute to environmental financing, during a bilateral meeting with her British counterpart on Wednesday as part of the first face-to-face meeting of G7 foreign ministers in more than two years.

This follows extra pressure on Australia to expand its climate commitments in the current free-trade talks with Britain, where Australia has agreed to a chapter on sustainability and Britain is pushing for high environmental standards and net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Senator Payne will be a guest in London this week, alongside her counterparts from India, the Republic of Korea, South Africa and the chair of ASEAN, joining G7 countries Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the US and UK for discussions on China, Russia and “bold climate action’’. This will include obtaining financial commitments from Australia and other countries in attendance to help poorer nations reduce climate emissions.

British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said this week’s meetings would agree “ambitious action on climate change’’ as well as tackle other shared challenges such as fair access to vaccines around the world, girls’ education and defending democracy and human rights.

Mr Raab will first meet US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in London on Monday for talks on issues including trade, China, Afghanistan and Iran. He is then due to host Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi at Chevening to deepen trade and security co-operation and agree on a shared approach on security of the Indo-Pacific.

Senator Payne’s London visit — where she will have the chance to discuss a range of issues for Australia including vaccine supply, Australia’s closed borders and the country’s tense relationship with China — comes at a delicate stage in free-trade talks being held between Trade Minister Dan Tehan and UK counterpart Liz Truss.

The UK is seeking strong climate provisions, including affirmations to the Paris Agreement and addressing challenges of climate change and sustainable trade, in the talks; it is particularly keen to have Australia reduce its carbon emissions even further ahead of an announcement at the COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow in November.

The Australian understands the trade talks are also looking at ways for Britain and Australia to cooperate on clean growth in hydrogen and energy storage.

The UK has made it clear any Australian trade agreement must “secure provisions that support and help further the government’s ambition on climate change and achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050.”