Scott Morrison ‘more likely’ to attend Cop26 climate summit in Glasgow
The PM is now leaning towards attending the Climate Change Conference as Prince Charles calls it ‘a last chance saloon’ and urges him to be there.
Scott Morrison is “more likely” to attend the Cop26 climate conference in Glasgow.
While nothing has been confirmed, The Australian understands that the importance of the summit means the Prime Minister is now leaning towards attending the United Nations Climate Change Conference, which begins on October 31.
Cop26, which will be attended by US President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, has been earmarked as a significant chance for robust and aspirational climate change commitments to mitigate global warming.
It comes as Prince Charles urged Mr Morrison to attend the climate summit, warning the talks were a “last chance saloon” to avoid a global “catastrophe”.
When told by a BBC TV interviewer the Prime Minister may not attend the summit due to concerns about quarantining, Prince Charles asked: “Is that what he says, is it?”
He went on: “The point being that this is a last chance saloon. If we don’t really take the decisions that are vital now, it’s going to be almost impossible to catch up,’’ Prince Charles said.
“It will be a disaster. I mean it will be catastrophic. It is already beginning to be catastrophic because nothing in nature can survive the stress that is created by these extremes of weather.”
With the country’s international borders set to open on November 1, Mr Morrison will be able to undertake seven days of home quarantine on his return, if he decides to attend.
Two weeks ago it appeared that Mr Morrison wouldn’t go to the climate summit, outlining to Queensland radio a raft of reasons why he wouldn’t attend.
While not the decision wasn’t final, he cited New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s likely non-attendance at the climate summit. He added he needed to first be able to explain his government’s emissions plan to Australians, “not people overseas”.
He had also spent a considerable amount of time overseas already, he said. Moreover, with the nation’s reopening plan ramping up, Mr Morrison said there would “be a lot on here” for him to deal with. But he added Australia would definitely be represented by a senior member of his government.
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