Australia’s election has brought in a wave of Greens and independents pushing for aggressive targets to cut carbon emissions.
The election result, with the pivotal role climate change played, represents a remarkable shift for Australia, one of the world’s biggest per-capita carbon emitters and top coal and gas exporters. It was shunned at last year’s Glasgow climate summit for failing to match other rich nations’ ambitious targets.
“Together we can end the climate wars”, incoming Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in his victory speech. “Together we can take advantage of the opportunity for Australia to be a renewable energy superpower”.
Albanese has said Labor would maintain its target of cutting carbon emissions 43 percent from 2005 levels by 2030, already much tougher than the outgoing conservative government’s Paris climate target of a cut of up to 28 percent.
With votes still being counted, Labor is short of a majority in the lower house of parliament, so it may need the support of an expanded cross-bench. Even with an outright majority, it could face a fight in the Senate, where it will likely need to need to work with the Greens to pass legislation, including the 2030 emissions target....
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