Extract from ABC News
Australia has an "irresponsible" and "suicidal" approach to climate policy, according to former UN climate chief Christiana Figueres.
Key points:
- Leaders from countries around the world have been urged to take renewed action on climate change
- Former UN climate chief Christiana Figueres has labelled Australia's policy "irresponsible"
- Australia has committed to reach net zero by 2050
The Costa Rican was one of the key diplomats who secured the 2015 Paris Agreement, which saw almost 200 countries vow to limit global warming to below 2 degrees Celsius, preferably to 1.5C.
Now six years later, she is sharing her deep frustration with Australia, for what she perceives as a lack of ambition and commitment to the global goal.
"I struggle to find an adjective that is politically correct [for Australia]," the former executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change told the ABC.
She said the Morrison Government's recent commitment to reach net zero by 2050 has not changed her mind.
"What Australia continues to do, which in my book is nothing other than to dig into dark holes of poison for itself and for the planet is completely irresponsible," Ms Figueres, who now hosts a podcast called Outrage and Ambition, said.
"For me, it's a vacuous statement — I want to know how is it going to be done."
'Lights are flashing red' on climate emergency
Thousands of delegates from around the world have converged on Glasgow for COP26, the UN's global climate change conference.
As hosts of the COP26 summit, the UK has asked all nations to reconsider more ambitious mid-century emissions reductions targets.
The UN suggests about half of emissions must be cut by 2030 to keep warming below 1.5C.
At the opening of the two-week event, COP president Alok Sharma said "the lights are flashing red on the climate dashboard", and urged leaders to take renewed action.
A spokesperson for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson this week said Australia could do more, like support the UK’s push to minimise coal use and production.
"If Australia did not have an option, one could perhaps understand, but Australia has much to benefit from in a de-carbonised economy," Ms Figueres said.
‘Nowhere close to where we need to be’
World leaders are due to meet this week at the COP26 talks, following G20 discussions in Rome, where the attendees agreed to "meaningful and effective" action to limit global warming but offered few concrete commitments.
There will be unfinished business for leaders at the Glasgow summit, according to Richie Merzian, director of climate and energy at the progressive think tank, The Australia Institute.
He worked as climate negotiator for the Australian government at several previous COP summits.
"Australia has refused to do the one thing asked of it in Glasgow, which is to increase its short-term target."
Ms Figueres is now at COP26 as an observer rather than a chief negotiator but she hopes a new sense of "urgency" is felt by world leaders.
"We didn't know in Paris how 1.5 [degrees Celsius] was going to be so critically important and how different life on this planet will be if we go to 2 degrees," she said.
"We're now at 2.7 [degrees Celsius], much better than where we were five years ago, but still nowhere close to where we need to be.
"So that is the gap that we actually will need to fill in very quickly."
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