Chris Bowen challenges Peter Dutton on Paris Accord
Chris Bowen says Peter Dutton must be clear whether he would take Australia out of the Paris Accord on climate change, accusing the Opposition Leader of harming investment.
Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen has challenged Peter Dutton to say whether he would take Australia out of the Paris Accord, accusing the Opposition Leader of damaging Australia’s international reputation and harming investment.
The criticism from Mr Bowen came as climate groups warned that backsliding on Australia’s climate targets would deter investment just as the nation was making the transition to a cleaner energy economy.
Mr Bowen said that, under the Paris Accord, nations could not “backslide – you can’t reduce your commitments”.
“So, is Mr Dutton proposing to leave the Paris Accord? Or is he just hoping no one notices?” Mr Bowen said.
“At the moment, the countries outside the Paris Accord are Libya, Yemen and Iran. Is Mr Dutton proposing to take Australia into that company?
“Did Mr Dutton take this extraordinary policy to his shadow cabinet or to his party room? Was his party consulted about leaving the Paris Accord and ripping up Australia’s emissions reduction target?
“Was his shadow cabinet consulted? These are questions that need to be put to Mr Dutton, and he needs to answer.”
Managing director of the Investor Group on Climate Change, Erwin Jackson, said that the Paris Agreement and its national emissions targets had “already mobilised billions of dollars towards new clean, job creating industries”.
“Back-flipping on these commitments and withdrawing from the Paris Agreement would corrode investor confidence at a time when Australia is competing for funding for new technologies and clean industries, local jobs and training opportunities,” Mr Jackson said.
“Investor confidence is only now starting to recover from decades of climate policy chaos. Investors urge all parliamentarians to stay the course and set emissions targets with the highest level of ambition.”
In an interview with The Weekend Australian, Mr Dutton made clear he would go to the next election opposing Labor’s 43 per cent carbon emissions reduction target by 2030 but keeping to zero emissions by 2050.
He said he would opt for a radically different energy policy to Anthony Albanese that prioritised more gas in the short term and nuclear in the long term.
Speaking on Saturday, Opposition climate and energy spokesman, Ted O’Brien, backed in the comments made by Mr Dutton to The Weekend Australian and declared: “The 43 per cent target by 2030 is unachievable. That is a statement of fact. That is the problem that Labor has put us in.
“When Labor legislated for 43 per cent emissions reduction, they could not tell us how they would get there how much it would cost or who would pay. Two years on they still cannot answer those questions.”
Mr O’Brien said the Coalition remained committed to the Paris Agreement, but only achieving the net zero by 2050 target.
“ We are committed to Paris – the 2050 net zero target,” he said.
“The Labor government took a target to Paris, they locked Australia in, now they cannot achieve that 43 per cent by 2030. It is therefore on the government to seek advice about the consequences.”
Climate Council chief executive Amanda McKenzie said that Mr Dutton’s climate policy was “a disaster, and the consequence for Australians would be more extreme heat, fires and floods”.
Ms McKenzie said that “instead of ripping up Australia’s 2030 climate targets, Peter Dutton must listen to the communities already ravaged by worsening climate disasters”.
She warned that the Liberals had failed to learn the lesson of the last election.
“This is more of the same from the party who already gave us a decade of denial and delay on climate,” she said.
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