Labor says Scott Morrison's dropping of Kyoto credits to meet climate targets is 'pathetic'

Extract from The Guardian

Labor leader says Australia needs to pledge to deliver net-zero emissions by 2050

Graham Readfearn

@readfearn

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Sat 5 Dec 2020 13.44 AEDT First published on Sat 5 Dec 2020 10.56 AEDT

The Labor leader, Anthony Albanese, right, pictured with shadow treasurer Jim Chalmers, says the Coalition’s attempt to use Kyoto credits reflects badly on the government. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

Labor and green groups are calling for an overhaul of Australia’s climate policies after reports Scott Morrison is planning for Australia to abandon the use of Kyoto carryover credits to achieve its emissions reduction targets.

Nine newspapers reported on Saturday the Australian prime minister will tell world leaders next week that Australia will not use the controversial accounting method to satisfy its 2030 target under the Paris agreement.

The Morrison government has faced harsh criticism for more than a year over its intention to use what it has described as “overachievement” on previous international climate agreements to make it easier to meet modest targets under the new Paris accord. The legality of the move has also been questioned.

The Labor leader, Anthony Albanese, said on Saturday the government was not doing enough to tackle climate change and should pledge to deliver net-zero emissions by 2050.

“The rather pathetic announcement by Scott Morrison that he won’t pull an accounting trick over Kyoto credits as if that’s a positive when it is a fact that the rest of the world rejected that as an accounting trick, that’s not a plus for the government,” Albanese said.

“What we need is a to reduce emissions, not a plan for accounting tricks.”

A year ago, the Department of the Environment and Energy said it was not aware of any other countries intending to use the credits, but that Australia might not need them anyway as emissions from the electricity sector were falling.

Morrison signalled a political retreat on the issue in late November, saying in a speech “my ambition is that we will not need them and we are working to this as our goal, consistent with our record of over-delivering”.

A government spokesman told Guardian Australia: “We have always said that we hope to be in a position where we don’t need to use these units to meet our targets.

“However, with any issue, the government will make announcements about policy decisions when they are final and we are in a position to announce.”

Liberal MP Trent Zimmerman told the ABC on Saturday that Australia was on track to meet its target without using the carryover credits.

“The PM is obviously yet to announce a formal change in approach but he obviously flagged if the government can get to 2030 without carryover credits that will be a good thing,” he said.

“If we can get to meet our 26% reduction targets by 2030 and not use carryover credits, that would be a great outcome for Australia.”

This week the government said it had 459m tonnes of CO2 credits that were accumulated between 2008 and 2020 against previous international commitments.

The Climate Change Authority has previously said using such credits would effectively halve Australia’s current 2030 target – a target criticised for lacking ambition.

The change is expected to be announced at a summit convened by British prime minister Boris Johnson on 12 December.

The Greens leader, Adam Bandt, said on Saturday that Morrison deserved “no applause for simply promising not to do something that wasn’t allowed in the first place”.

“By saying he won’t cook the books to meet his pathetic 2030 targets, he is clearing the absolute lowest bar,” he said.

On Twitter, the New South Wales environment minister, Matt Kean, told Morrison “Well done”, prompting federal independent MP Zali Steggall to respond: “Are you kidding? A pat on the back for committing not to cheat but still no commitment to Net Zero? Come on, Aus needs leadership, not spin.”

Stegall has introduced a bill to parliament to push the Australian government to adopt a 2050 net-zero emissions target.

Greenpeace Australia Pacific spokeswoman Nelli Stevenson said the Morrison government had “long been shamed” on the international stage over the credits.

“It’s time to walk the talk and ramp up ambition beyond Australia’s weak Paris targets,” she said.

This week the British president of the next major UN climate change summit thanked Australia’s states and territories for backing net zero 2050 targets, while urging unnamed others – including the Morrison government – to join them.