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Australia to Delay New Climate Targets Following Trump’s Return

By Ben Westcott
A freight train transports coal from the Gunnedah Coal Handling and Prepararation Plant, operated by Whitehaven Coal Ltd., in Gunnedah, New South Wales, Australia, on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2020. Prime Minister Scott Morrison warned last month that if power generators don't commit to building 1,000 megawatts of gas-fired generation capacity by April to replace a coal plant set to close in 2023, the pro fossil-fuel government would do so itself. (David Gray/Bloomberg)

(Bloomberg) -- Australia’s new targets for carbon emission cuts by 2035 are expected to be delayed by several months as a result of Donald Trump’s return to the White House, likely pushing them out beyond the next election which is due to be held by May.

Energy Minister Chris Bowen said Australia’s Climate Change Authority had told him it needed more time to consider advice on what the 2035 targets should be, adding Trump’s election had created uncertainty over the global approach to climate change.

“We don’t know yet whether he’ll be able to abolish the Inflation Reduction Act,” Bowen told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio on Monday. “That’s a negative if that goes. On the other hand, if the US is less interested in renewable energy investment, that investment’s got to go somewhere. And Australia will be right at the top of the list.”

Australia’s center-left Labor government has attempted to reverse the country’s reputation as a global climate laggard. Shortly after coming to power, it legislated the nation’s first ever emission reduction targets, pledging to cut them by 43% from 2005 levels by 2030.

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Under the Paris Agreement, Australia is expected to commit to new targets for 2035 early next year. However, Climate Change Authority Chairman Matt Kean said it would take longer to come up with a recommendation on how much to cut.

“The election of Donald Trump, his statements on climate change and positions on energy policy are likely to have a global impact,” Kean said in an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper. “Due to this extra work, we will require more time to deliver the target’s advice. We expect to be able to deliver this work in several months’ time.”

The delay almost certainly means the 2035 target announcement will come after the next election, which must be held by May 17.  Both sides of Australian politics have pledged to reach net zero by 2050, however the opposition Liberal-National Coalition has refused to set short-term targets so far.

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