Australia delays decision on 2035 emissions target following Trump’s election victory

Canberra: Australia’s decision on a 2035 emissions reduction target will be delayed following Donald Trump’s US presidential election victory, the government’s top climate agency has said.

Matt Kean, chairman of the government’s independent Climate Change Authority (CCA), on Sunday said that the global impact of Trump’s election win would delay the agency’s advice on a 2035 target by several months, Xinhua news agency reported.

Under the terms of the Paris Agreement on climate change, Australia is obliged to commit to a 2035 emissions reduction target by February.

However, under Australian law, the government cannot set the 2035 target without advice from the CCA.

Kean told Nine Entertainment newspapers on Sunday that Trump’s victory made it necessary to reassess and recalculate the assumptions that will inform the CCA’s advice to the government.

“The election of Donald Trump, his statements on climate change and positions on energy policy are likely to have a global impact,” he said.

“We’ll do further work and modelling that will take into account America’s new approach to climate change mitigation, the rest of the world’s response, and their impacts on global supply chains.”

Chris Bowen, Australia’s minister for climate change and energy, said in October that the announcement of the 2035 target could be delayed beyond February and even the 2025 general election, which must be held by May.

A major report published by the CCA in September said that Australia must cut its greenhouse gas emissions by at least 75 per cent from 2005 levels by 2035 in order to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

It said a 57 per cent reduction was necessary to limit warming to 2 degrees.

Australia has committed to cutting emissions by at least 43 per cent from 2005 levels by 2030 and reaching net zero emissions by 2050.

Bowen claimed in a speech to parliament in November that Australia is on track to meet its 2030 target.

IANS