Technology, developing world key to climate battle: PM

PM reaffirms his belief technology will enable the world to limit global warming, warns developing nations must also do their part.

Scott Morrison has reaffirmed his belief that technology will enable the world to limit global warming, likening the global effort to slow climate change to the battle against Covid-19, but warned any action would require developing nations to do their part.

The Prime Minister made his comments after the release of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report which laid bare the major consequences facing the planet unless there was an immediate and widespread decarbonisation of global economies.

Mr Morrison said the report affirmed the “serious challenge” facing Australia, but underlined any action was contingent on the developing world ensuring global warming was limited to less than 1.5C.

“We cannot ignore the fact that the developing world accounts for two thirds of global emissions and those emissions are rising. That is a stark fact,” Mr Morrison told a press conference on Tuesday afternoon.

“It is also a clear fact that China’s emissions account for more than the OECD combined.”

Amid criticism of his government’s efforts on climate, Mr Morrison said world history had taught that technology-driven solutions were a “game changer”.

“World history teaches one thing. Technology changes everything,” he said.

“Governments, political leaders, can pretend these things, but I’ll tell you what makes the difference – technology changes on the ground. And that is why our approach is technology and not taxes to solve this problem.”

Mr Morrison drew an analogy with the global fight to overcome the pandemic, saying that battle was also dependent on science and technology.

“While I was at the G7, we spoke about a number of issues. We spoke about this issue but the day before we spoke about Covid. And we talked about how science and technology is helping us in fact enabling us to ultimately beat Covid-19,” he said.

Despite the report warning there was only a decade to prevent the worst impacts of climate change Mr Morrison declined to commit to a formal 2030 medium-term target, instead saying his government would make it “very clear” what “Australia is achieving and what we intend to achieve”.

With Nationals senator Matt Canavan questioning the veracity of the IPCC’s report, Mr Morrison said while the government’s climate policy was “clear”, there needed to be recognition of the anxieties that existed across the nation about how climate adaptation would impact on people’s lives.

“They have serious concerns about that and we can’t be flippant about those or dismiss them. I don’t. I take them seriously and that’s why the sensible responsible action that our government is taking and having a plan to achieve these things and explaining it to Australians,” he said.

Energy and Emissions Reduction Angus Taylor said the IPCC’s report underlined the “enormous importance of the work” Australia was doing to reduce emissions.

“It underscores the importance of practical solutions to bring down global emissions, find those pathways that allow countries across the globe to strengthen their economy at the same time as they are bringing down emissions,” Mr Taylor said.

“And the pathway to do that is technology. Not taxes. Not defacing buildings.”