Australia is under growing international pressure to commit to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, but the policy is fiercely dividing its center-right government.<\/P>
Australia is one of the world\u2019s major exporters of coal and gas. Coal is mined in every state. Most exports go to countries in Asia, including China, Japan and South Korea.<\/P>
In 2020, exports were worth about $39 billion. Trade has almost doubled in the past decade. But China\u2019s informal import restrictions on Australian coal saw the value of exports fall sharply, although prices have started to recover. Coal also generates about 70% of Australia\u2019s electricity. Coal-fired power makes it the most carbon polluting nation per capita in the world.<\/P>
Prime Minister Scott Morrison is planning to eventually shift his country\u2019s reliance on coal and gas in favor of clean energy technologies, a shift from his time as a treasurer in 2017. In support of the mining industry, then-treasurer Morrison brought a piece of coal to Parliament to argue the need to continue producing coal in a famous scene.<\/P>
\u201cThis is coal,\u201d he said. \u201cDon\u2019t be afraid. Don\u2019t be scared. It\u2019s coal that has delivered prosperity to Australian businesses and has ensured that Australian industry has been able to remain competitive on a global market.\u201d<\/P>
Clean energy is still an issue that deeply divides his center-right governing coalition.<\/P>
Some members of the National Party \u2014 the junior alliance partner \u2014 are adamant that Australia\u2019s coal industry is too valuable to lose and insist it will thrive for decades. Many regional communities depend on it. There is also disagreement about committing to a target of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050. The prime minister said he wants to achieve net zero emissions \u201cas soon as possible\u201d but has not outlined any measures to do so.<\/P>
But government lawmaker Trent Zimmerman said Australia must join the global push to reduce emissions.<\/P>
\u201cWe need both the target and the plan that matches it,\u201d Zimmerman said. \u201cIt is very hard to divorce the two and obviously much of the international community has moved in that direction. In fact, eighty percent of global emissions or thereabouts are covered by pledges that relate to reaching net-zero. So, it is important for Australia that we are part of that because it is the right thing to do.\u201d<\/P>
Morrison has said he is yet to decide whether he will attend the Glasgow Climate Change Conference, also known as COP26, in November. He told a newspaper that he wanted to oversee Australia\u2019s eventual emergence from COVID-19 lockdowns. His critics insist he is \u201ctoo embarrassed\u201d by his government\u2019s climate change policies to attend the summit in the Scottish capital.<\/P>
Opinion polls by the Australia Institute, an independent public policy think tank based in Canberra, have shown that most Australians want stronger measures to curb emissions. A United Nations climate change report recently warned that global warming will inflict more severe and frequent droughts, storms, heatwaves and bushfires in Australia.<\/P>
However, those surveys reported by the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper also revealed support for the coal industry. Less than half of Australians believe that coal power should be phased out within a decade. Australia\u2019s addiction to fossil fuels might be hard to give up, according to the survey.<\/P>
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Source: Voice of America<\/P>
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Australia is under growing international pressure to commit to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, but the policy is fiercely dividing its center-right government.Australia is one of the world\u2019s major exporters of coal and gas. Coal is mined in every st…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n