Australia has pledged to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 62-70 per cent over the next decade, a goal that falls short of expert recommendations but still promises one of the steepest transitions in the country’s history.
The announcement comes ahead of a UN deadline for governments to submit their updated climate plans, known as Nationally Determined Contributions, before the Cop30 summit in Brazil this November.
Australia is one of the world’s highest emitters per capita, largely due to its powerful resources industry. The new target falls below the 65-75 per cent range modelled by the treasury department and proposed by the independent Climate Change Authority, which advises the government on climate policy.
“The target must be two things: ambitious and achievable. A target over 70 per cent is not achievable, that advice is clear,” climate change and energy minister Chris Bowen told a press conference on Thursday. “We’ve gone for the maximum level of ambition that is achievable.”
Prime minister Anthony Albanese also announced A$5 billion (£2.6bn) in funding to help industrial facilities decarbonise, along with A$2 billion for the Clean Energy Finance Corporation to continue supporting renewable projects and drive down electricity prices.
“We are not the biggest polluter or the biggest economy but our commitment to action on climate change matters,” Mr Albanese, whose government is trying to host the UN climate summit in 2026, said.
“It matters to our neighbours, it matters for our economy, and it matters for the country that we pass on to our children.”
Earlier this week, Australia’s first national climate risk assessment warned that nearly 1.5 million people living along the coast could be at risk from rising sea levels by 2050, with heat-related deaths rising by 440 per cent in Sydney in the worst-case scenario.
The government’s pledge is facing criticism from environmental groups, which want Australia to adopt the upper end of the Climate Change Authority’s recommended range, warning that anything less will leave communities exposed to worsening heat, drought and flooding.
Among major economies, the UK has declared the most ambitious emissions target so far – an effective 78 per cent reduction from 2005 levels.
Additional reporting by agencies.
