Australia passes landmark climate change law
Australia passes landmark climate change law AP - Mark Baker
Text by: RFI Follow
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Australia passed its first major climate change bill in more than a decade on Thursday, September 8, including emissions targets and enshrining the zero emissions target in law for the first time. net by 2050.
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The law, which is
a key election promise
of the new centre-left government, aims to reduce emissions from this high-carbon economy by 43% compared to 2005 levels.
Wide Support
Presented by the Labor government as the end of a
decade of Australian
climate inaction, the text has garnered broad support among trade unions and business circles.
Australia, one of the world's largest exporters of coal and natural gas, has been slow to adopt climate targets, although it is already feeling the effects, including more bushfires and flooding. more violent.
Although it offers more ambitious targets than the 26 to 28% reduction by 2030 planned by the previous government, this new law has disappointed the Greens, who believe that it should in particular ban new coal and gas.
"43% is not enough
," rugby star-turned-senator David Pocock told AFP.
"But it's a start...I think it's important that we legislate a goal
," he said.
Yesterday I had the opportunity to speak on the 43% climate bill.
We need more ambition but legislating this target is an important first step and further amendments today will add to its integrity.
Tap the link below to watch the full speech.https://t.co/Sbu8NblnaS pic.twitter.com/jsaJDi0Kaq
— David Pocock (@DavidPocock) September 7, 2022
Faster acting
Mr Pocock is among the climate-conscious candidates who came to power in the last election on the promise of faster action to curb climate change.
The climate issue was at the heart of the defeat of the previous Conservative coalition government in the last election.
Some 5.8 million hectares of forest went up in smoke in the
late 2019 and early 2020 fires
, releasing enough smoke, researchers say, to significantly affect the ozone hole over Antarctica.
Coal at the heart of the economy
However, fossil fuels - coal and gas in particular - remain at the heart of Australia's economy, making climate action a politically sensitive topic.
During a tense debate on Thursday, some senators went so far as to express skepticism about man-made climate change.
►Also read:
Labor victory, a new climate in Australia?
(
with AFP
)
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