ANALYSIS-Australia feels global, national heat for 2050 zero-emissions goal Reuters 1/21/2021
By Michael Taylor
Jan 21 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Pressure from Joe Biden s new green-leaning U.S. administration and Australian states could see Canberra set a goal to become carbon-neutral by 2050, climate experts said, urging stronger policies to phase out fossil fuels and push sustainable farming.
Australia s reliance on coal-fired power makes it one of the world s largest carbon emitters per capita. Green groups have long lobbied the federal government to wean itself off fossil fuels, especially after devastating bushfires last year.
Suzanne Harter, a climate campaigner at the Australian Conservation Foundation, said the likelihood of a carbon-neutral aim being set ahead of the U.N. climate summit in November will increase as pressure builds for more ambitious climate action.
Australia is seen as a regional laggard on climate by some green groups, who cite pledges for zero emissions by midcentury made by China, Japan and South Korea.
Pressure from Joe Biden's new green-leaning U.S. administration and Australian states could see Canberra set a goal to become carbon-neutral by 2050, climate experts said, urging stronger policies to phase out fossil fuels and push sustainable farming.
Pressure from Joe Biden's new green-leaning US administration and Australian states could see Canberra set a goal to become carbon-neutral by 2050, climate experts say.