SYDNEY: Australia’s main opposition said on Thursday it would drop the country’s commitment to achieving net zero emissions by 2050 if it won power.
The center-right Liberal Party have agonized in recent weeks over whether to drop the climate pledge, introduced by the party’s former leader Scott Morrison when he was prime minister in 2021.
On Thursday current opposition leader Sussan Ley said her party remained committed to “responding to climate change in a way that is affordable, responsible and achievable.”
“We are not pursuing net zero, we are pursuing energy affordability and emissions reduction,” she said.
“Net zero would be welcome” but the target would be achieved without government intervention, Ley added.
The Liberal Party’s decision comes just days after their conservative coalition partners, the National Party, voted to ditch their net zero by 2050 target.
The coalition will meet Sunday to come to an agreement on the coalition’s formal stance.
Australia’s “climate wars” — a years-long domestic fight over emissions policy — stalled progress and the country remains dependent on its fossil fuel economy for growth.
Canberra’s center-left government has poured billions into solar power, wind turbines and green manufacturing and pledged to make the nation a renewable energy superpower.
It has also pledged to slash planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions by up to 70 percent from 2005 levels over the next decade.
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Australia’s main opposition party drops net zero commitment
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Australia’s main opposition party drops net zero commitment
- The Liberal Party’s decision comes just days after their conservative coalition partners, the National Party, voted to ditch their net zero by 2050 target
South Korea calls for resuming dialogue with North
- President Lee Jae Myung has sought to mend ties with the nuclear-armed North since taking office in June
- North Korean leader Kim Jong Un last week dashed hopes of a diplomatic thaw with Seoul
SEOUL: South Korean President Lee Jae Myung called on Sunday for dialogue with North Korea to resume, after Pyongyang last week shunned the prospect of diplomacy with its neighbor.
Since taking office in June, a dovish Lee has sought to mend ties with the nuclear-armed North, which reaffirmed its anti-Seoul approach during a party meeting last week.
“As my administration has repeatedly made clear, we respect the North’s system and will neither engage in any type of hostile acts, nor pursue any form of unification by absorption,” Lee said in a speech marking the anniversary of a historical campaign against Japan’s colonial rule.
“We will also continue our efforts to resume dialogue with the North,” he said.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un last week dashed hopes of a diplomatic thaw with Seoul, describing its overtures as “clumsy, deceptive farce and a poor work.”
Speaking at the party congress in Pyongyang, Kim said North Korea has “absolutely no business dealing with South Korea, its most hostile entity, and will permanently exclude South Korea from the category of compatriots.”
But he also said the North could “get along well” with the United States if Washington acknowledges its nuclear status.
Speculation has mounted over whether US President Donald Trump will seek a meeting with Kim during planned travels to China.
Last year, Trump said he was “100 percent” open to a meeting.
Previous Trump-Kim summits during the US president’s first term fell apart after the pair failed to agree over sanctions relief — and what nuclear concessions North Korea might make in return.
Since taking office in June, a dovish Lee has sought to mend ties with the nuclear-armed North, which reaffirmed its anti-Seoul approach during a party meeting last week.
“As my administration has repeatedly made clear, we respect the North’s system and will neither engage in any type of hostile acts, nor pursue any form of unification by absorption,” Lee said in a speech marking the anniversary of a historical campaign against Japan’s colonial rule.
“We will also continue our efforts to resume dialogue with the North,” he said.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un last week dashed hopes of a diplomatic thaw with Seoul, describing its overtures as “clumsy, deceptive farce and a poor work.”
Speaking at the party congress in Pyongyang, Kim said North Korea has “absolutely no business dealing with South Korea, its most hostile entity, and will permanently exclude South Korea from the category of compatriots.”
But he also said the North could “get along well” with the United States if Washington acknowledges its nuclear status.
Speculation has mounted over whether US President Donald Trump will seek a meeting with Kim during planned travels to China.
Last year, Trump said he was “100 percent” open to a meeting.
Previous Trump-Kim summits during the US president’s first term fell apart after the pair failed to agree over sanctions relief — and what nuclear concessions North Korea might make in return.
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