Technology will be at the heart of Australia’s submission to a critical global climate change summit despite growing pressure for a 2050 net zero emissions target.
There are increasing calls for countries to commit to achieving net zero emissions by 2050 ahead of a United Nations climate conference in November.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison is lukewarm on that benchmark despite agitation from moderate Liberal MPs and business groups.
“Currently, no-one can tell me that going down that path won’t cost jobs, won’t put up your electricity prices and won’t impact negatively on jobs in the economies of rural and regional Australia,” he told reporters in Melbourne.
The Australian newspaper reports that Australia will take a technology investment target to the Glasgow summit to avoid signing up to net zero emissions by 2050.
Mr Morrison said that was “very speculative” but confirmed climate policy would be shaped around technology.
“You want to get global emissions down? That’s what you need. You need the technology that can be accessed and put in place, not just here in Australia, but all around the world,” he said.
“Meetings won’t achieve that, technology does.”
He said the government favoured technology over taxation.
The coalition is expected to release a new technology road map charting the way forward in hydrogen, solar, batteries, transmission, large-scale energy storage and carbon capture.
The prime minister has also signalled he won’t bow to international pressure for Australia to set more ambitious climate change targets.
“I tend not to take lectures from other countries about what Australia’s doing because we’re the ones who are actually meeting and beating our targets,” he told Triple M radio on Tuesday.
“Others will make their comments – and they’re wrong. We’re getting on with the job.”
The prime minister also pointed to New Zealand, which has signed up to the 2050 target, exempting agriculture despite the sector being the country’s biggest contributor to emissions.
Meanwhile, Labor is also debating its approach to climate change and resources, with some MPs warning the party against hostility towards coal.
WA frontbencher Matt Keogh said his state had a resource-based economy.
“When people appear to be against one area of the resources sector, WA gets worried,” he told The Australian.
“Labor is a party that supports the resources industry and its workers across the nation, as well as supporting action to reduce emissions. The two aren’t mutually exclusive.”
AAP
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