Climate achievements mean more than promises, says Scott Morrison
Scott Morrison tells world leaders that promises to reduce carbon emissions matter less than actual achievements in emissions reduction.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has told world leaders that actual achievements in reducing carbon dioxide emissions were more important than promises about the future, in a speech at President Joe Biden’s virtual climate summit that was notable for resisting a global push, led by the US, to announce new, stricter targets.
In an online conference marked by a series of embarrassing technical glitches, Mr Morrison said Australia had “met and exceeded” its 2020 Kyoto commitments and was “well on the way” to exceeding commitments in Paris in 2015 to reduce emissions by 28 per cent from 2005 levels by 2030.
“It’s right to speak to our ambitions at this summit, it’s also right to focus on performance,” Mr Morrison said in a conference that was convened by President Biden to encourage governments to set more ambitious targets to reduce emissions by 2030.
“You can always be sure the commitments Australia makes are bankable… Future generations will thank us not for what we’ve promised but on what we’ve delivered and on that score we can be relied upon,” the Prime Minister said.
President Biden, who invited 40 world leaders to the summit, said the US would cut its emissions by 50 percent by 2030, which is more than double the Obama administration’s undertaking.
“Our goal is to get to net zero as soon as we possibly can through technology … not taxes,” Mr Morrison said. “We have the highest uptake of solar rooftop in the world and we’re deploying renewable energy 10 times faster than the global average per person,” he added.
Earlier in the conference French President Emmanuel Macron was cut off suddenly after beginning to deliver his remarks, for a camera shot of Russian President Vladimir Putin talking to his aides for at least a minute.
“That was a tape of Macron,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken could be heard saying, revealing the French leader was not, in fact, in attendance.
When Mr Morrison’s turn came to speak, after the Prime Minister of Bhutan, he delivered the first part of his remarks on mute. “Mr Prime Minister I’m not sure we’re hearing you,” the secretary of State said in front of the digitally assembled 40 leaders.
Apart from the technical problems the two-day virtual conference began with remarks by the US president, the UN Secretary General, followed by Chinese President Xi Jinping and India Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in remarks that switched between English and French, said Canada would reduce its emissions by between 40 and 45 per cent by 2030 compared to 2005.
Mr Morrison said Australia would see its emissions per capita fall by almost half on 2005 levels and emissions by unit of GDP by 70 per cent. “Already we have reduced emission by 19 per cent on 2005 levels and by 36 per cent when you exclude exports,” he said.
Lachlan Carey, a former Treasury official at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, said Australia had “rarely looked so out of its depth”
“Relegated to a slot below climate laggards like Saudi Arabia and Brazil, Scott Morrison’s speech exposed just how far behind Australia is in meeting global climate goals, and the increasing toll this is taking on its international reputation,” he said.
“The speech’s many references to Australia’s mining companies and unproven technologies only confirmed the world’s impression that Australians care more about fossil fuel interests than planetary stability,” he added.
Richard Fontaine, chief executive of the Centre for New American Security, said the US was unlikely to rebuke Australia, the “poster child” among US allies, publicly.
“This matters to the Biden administration, but I doubt you will see the kind of public cajoling you saw under the Obama administration; for one, that didn’t work,” he said, referring to the former president’s singling out of Australia at the G20 in Brisbane in 2014.
China and India, which as developing nations are still allowed to increase their emissions, offered no new commitments.
“Differentiated responsibilities is the cornerstone of climate governance,” China’s President Xi said, urging “full recognition” for developing countries’ “particular difficulties and concerns”.
Mr Modi said India’s carbon footprint was 60 per cent lower than the global average. “Our lifestyle is still rooted in sustainable practices… I want to emphasise importance of lifestyle changes in climate action, a guiding philosophy of back to basics for the post covid era,” he said.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, speaking days after his government promised a a 78 per cent cut in emissions by 2035, the most aggressive schedule in the world, said Britain was the first country to pass legislation for net zero emissions.
“We have the biggest offshore wind capacity of any country in the world. We are the Saudi Arabia of wind,” he said, stressing that action on climate change was not “politically correct bunny hugging”.
“Cake have eat is my message to you,” he explained, noting the UK economy had grown significantly despite cutting emissions by 42 per cent from 1990 levels.
Mr Morrison said Australia was on track to develop “the cheapest clean hydrogen in the world” at a price of less than $2 a kilogram.
“In Australia our journey to net zero is being led by world class pioneering Australian companies like Fortescue, led by Dr Andrew Forrest, Visy, BHP, Rio Tinto, AGL and so many more of all sizes,” he said.
After the leaders had each made their opening remarks, 19-year-old Xiye Bastida, a Mexican climate activist, was invited to speak.
Delivered in the haranguing style of Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, she demanded the world reach net zero emissions by 2030 rather than 2050 using “annual binding carbon budgets”.
“We demand you stop fossil fuels … We demand comprehensive non-Eurocentric climate education [and an end to] environmental racism,” she said, urging the forum embrace “ancestral and indigenous wisdom”.
More Coverage
Jewish leaders: put Greens last on ballot
Two of the nation’s leading Jewish groups have sought public commitments from Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton for the major parties to preference each other over the Greens at the next election.
Diplomat’s partner in post-rugby slur at cops
Footage has emerged of an Australian diplomat’s partner apparently yelling a homophobic slur at police during his arrest after the Bledisloe Cup rugby match in New Zealand last month.