Australia will not give up coal revenues.

This week, the journal

Nature

published a study indicating that in order to have a chance of meeting the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 ° C from levels in the pre-industrial period, 89% of resources were needed. global coal and 95% of Australia's coal ceases to be mined.

A concession that the country is not ready to make.

"We will continue to extract the resources that we can sell on the world market," said Scott Morrison, Australian Prime Minister.

The latter estimated that Australia's energy resources are necessary for developing countries and he wants to believe that in the long term the technology will allow coal to be burned "in a much more climate-friendly way".

“We of course anticipate that the global demand for these things may change over time,” he added.

A huge source of income for Australia

The recent fires, drought and cyclones of rare intensity that have hit the country are, according to scientists, made worse by climate change.

Defenders of the environment assure that inaction on this issue could cost the country's economy billions of euros.

But Australia has refused to set a zero carbon target and remains one of the world's largest fossil fuel exporters.

Coal exports brought in 50 billion Australian dollars (31 billion euros) in one year and the industry represents 50,000 direct jobs, underlined the Australian Minister for Resources, Keith Pitt. They are the country's second largest export product after iron ore. "The reality is that global demand for Australian coal is increasing and should continue to increase in the next ten years at least," assured the minister in a statement, promising employees in the sector a "long-term commitment From the government.

Leaders from 196 countries will meet from October 31 to November 12 in Glasgow (Scotland) for the World Climate Conference (COP26).

This meeting, the most important since the Paris conference in 2015, is seen as a decisive step in setting targets to slow climate change.

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