Junior Australian Coalition Government Partner Says He Won’t Rush Net Zero

CANBERRA, Oct. 18 (Reuters) – The junior partner in Australia’s coalition government said on Monday that it would not be rushed into a decision whether or not to support a net zero emissions target by 2050.

Morrison announced last week that he would attend the UN’s COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, where he was to present to world leaders, including US President Joe Biden, Australia’s updated climate ambitions of zero. net by 2050.

Morrison had sought approval from the National Party, the government’s coalition partner, but his leader Barnaby Joyce said rural-focused lawmakers failed to come to an agreement at a meeting of four o’clock on Sunday.

Joyce said the party would meet again on Monday and warned of efforts to put pressure on them.

“We are not chained to a script. We have our own party and our own party room for a separate purpose,” Joyce told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

“If someone thinks they’re forced to end up in a corner, you know what they’re going to do, they’re going to say no.”

Joyce said his party was concerned about the impact of net zero on agriculture and coal mining, but Morrison faces increasing pressure to reach a deal ahead of the climate summit.

“Morrison cannot afford any deal. He would look like a weak leader on the world stage just months before an election,” said Haydon Manning, professor of politics at Flinders University in South Australia.

Morrison said Australia wants to achieve net zero “as soon as possible and preferably by 2050” and that it expects to exceed its commitment to cut carbon emissions by 26% to 28% from 2005 levels by 2030.

The Prime Minister must call a general election by May 2022 and he must both appease the moderates in his Liberal Party who are pushing for climate action and maintain the support of the National Party.

Reporting by Colin Packham; Editing by Sam Holmes

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