Biden climate talks: Morrison pushes jobs on road to net zero

Scott Morrison will put technology and jobs at the centre of the path to net zero emissions and stare down pressure for fixed targets.

Scott Morrison will outline Australia’s net zero emissions ambition on the global stage this week when Joe Biden hosts a two-day summit. Picture: Getty Images

Scott Morrison will put technology and jobs at the centre of Australia’s path to net zero emissions — and stare down domestic and international pressure for fixed targets — when he delivers the nation’s pitch at Joe Biden’s climate change summit within days.

The Prime Minister, who will unveil a plan on Wednesday to invest $540m in developing hydrogen, and carbon capture and storage, is preparing a series of emissions reduction policies ahead of next month’s budget and the UN Climate Change Conference in November.

Mr Morrison will outline Australia’s net zero emissions ambition on the global stage this week — led by record investment in hydrogen, gas and low-emissions technologies — when Mr Biden hosts a two-day summit ­involving 40 world leaders, ­including Xi Jinping, Boris Johnson, Narendra Modi and Joko Widodo.

The government’s climate change agenda will focus on ­reshaping the global debate around technology and not targets, protecting and creating jobs and key industries in a new energy economy, and delivering affordable and reliable power.

Mr Morrison, who will finalise his long-term emissions reduction strategy ahead of the UN COP26 conference in Glasgow, said establishing four additional clean hydrogen hubs in regional Australia and developing CCS technologies and projects would create 2500 jobs and drive down the nation’s emissions footprint.

“We want to make clean ­energy more affordable and ­reliable, while looking for ways our investments can get more people into work. We cannot pretend the world is not changing. If we do, we run the risk of stranding jobs in this country, especially in regional areas,” Mr Morrison said.

The hydrogen and CCS funding boosts comes after Mr Morrison injected politics into the net zero emissions debate in a speech on Monday night, fending off criticism from Nationals MPs and attempts by Anthony Albanese to drag Labor to the centre in a bid to win seats in Queensland and Western Australia at the next election.

Mr Morrison, who visited BHP and Fortescue facilities in WA last week, is pitching his climate ambitions to the regions and middle Australia ahead of the election, and telling voters that Labor will tax its path towards net zero emissions by 2050.

Mr Morrison used his Business Council of Australia annual dinner speech on Monday to endorse a private-sector led clean energy transition, outlining work being done by mining and energy giants Fortescue, AGL, BHP, Rio Tinto and Idemitsu Australia Resources in pursuing low-emissions technologies including CCS, emissions-free vehicles and pumped hydro.

He also pledged that high-emitting mining, manufacturing and agriculture sectors, which employ millions of people across regional Australia, would not be punished under the government’s climate policies.

With Mr Albanese on Tuesday delivering a speech promoting a “clean energy jobs revolution”, Mr Morrison said the world was changing rapidly and Australia must be competitive in a new energy economy to support jobs and heavy industries in regional areas.

“Low-emissions industries mean more jobs directly for workers, but also cheaper energy means lower costs to businesses that they can reinvest in hiring more people,” he said.

“Our technology-first approach will see Australia achieve its emissions reduction goals while continuing to grow our export industries and also supporting our trading partners’ efforts to decarbonise.”

Queensland LNP senator Matt Canavan, a former resources minister credited with leading the pro-Adani campaign which helped sandbag the central Queensland marginal seats of Flynn, Dawson and Capricornia at the 2019 election, said “the impact of going for net zero will be felt in smaller towns whatever we may wish otherwise”.

Queensland Nationals MPs and WA Liberals are understood to be concerned that any overreach on the government’s climate change priorities could put seats at risk in the mining states. Other Liberal MPs told The Australian they were “very supportive” of Mr Morrison’s rhetoric on net zero emissions.

“We can’t make aluminium and steel without creating carbon emissions, we can’t grow cattle without creating carbon emissions and we can’t mine coal without creating emissions,” Senator Canavan said. The Rockhampton-based senator said the government should not agree to put thousands of Australians out of work when “China will just ignore any global climate agreement and steal our jobs from us”.

Energy and Emissions Reduction Minister Angus Taylor, who is expected to finalise Australia’s Future Fuels Strategy guiding the nation’s uptake of electric vehicles by mid-year, said the government “was backing technology to meet our 2030 target and get to net zero”.

The hydrogen hub funding, which increases the government’s support for the emerging industry to more than $850m, could be set up at sites identified in seven states and territories, including the Pilbara, Gladstone, La Trobe Valley, Hunter Valley, Eyre Peninsula, Darwin and Bell Bay.

Mr Taylor said by backing hydrogen and CCS, the government would help reduce “technical and commercial barriers to deploying these technologies”.

“Australia’s potential to supply our trading partners with low-cost, clean energy and permanently and safely store emissions underground has our trading partners, including Japan, South Korea and Singapore, excited,” Mr Taylor said. He said Australia was also pursuing low-emissions partnerships with Germany, the US and Britain.

The government’s Technology Investment Roadmap, guiding $18bn in government investment over the next decade, will support 130,000 jobs by 2030 and avoid 250 million tonnes of emissions by 2040.

In a speech about America’s global climate leadership ahead of Mr Biden’s climate summit, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said they planned to target nations still reliant on coal.

“When countries continue to rely on coal for a significant amount of their energy, or invest in new coal factories, or allow for massive deforestation, they will hear from the United States and our partners about how harmful these actions are,” Mr Blinken said.

He warned climate change inaction would create “new theatres of conflict”, fanning increased migration and poverty, and that the US may not win the long-term strategic competition with China if it fails to “lead the renewable energy revolution”.

“It’s why the Biden-Harris administration will do more than any in history to meet our climate crisis. This is already an all-hands-on-deck effort across our government and across our nation. Our future depends on the choices we make today,” he said.