What you need to know about the week that saw the US commit to nearly doubling its emissions reduction target and the world focus anew on the greatest threat to our planet.
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As he campaigned for the White House Joe Biden told the world that he would
make climate change central to his presidency and in the months since his
victory, his energy and determination startled even the most optimistic US
climate campaigners.
Last Friday, Biden returned the United States to the world stage on climate, convening a meeting of 40 world leaders, including Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
Biden’s goal was to reassert American leadership and encourage the world to focus on the climate crisis in the lead-up to the United Nations climate talks in Glasgow in November.
The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald’s climate and environment team covered the conference from Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne and worked closely with North America Correspondent Matthew Knott.
Our coverage began in the weeks before the leaders convened, with analysis of grim new reports about the state of the climate from Australian and international scientific bodies.
At the start of April, we reported that the Australian Academy of Science believes that because we have delayed action for so long it is now “virtually impossible” to keep global warming under the more ambitious Paris Agreement goal of 1.5 degrees and that as a result, the Great Barrier Reef is all but doomed.
Soon afterwards the Climate Council released
their own report with similar findings, emphasising that it was possible for the world to “overshoot” the mark but
still pull temperatures back with real effort and new technologies.
Pressure mounted on Australia to increase our own ambitions. As the talks approached the team began to explore what the impact might be on Australia if it did not.
Pascal Lamy, the former head of the World Trade organisation explained to us why he believed a European Union border tariff on some Australian goods was reasonable and inevitable.
Australian security chiefs and even former Chief of the Defence Force, Admiral Chris Barrie, told The Age and the Herald about their concerns that Australia was not prepared for the security threat presented by climate change.
Days before the summit was to begin, news broke that China and the US had agreed to cooperate on climate, to the massive relief of international observers.
We secured an interview with Australia’s US Ambassador, Arthur Sinodinis, who explained that he had spoken with Biden’s climate envoy, John Kerry, and that Australia planned to work with the world to tackle the threat.
Nonetheless, we learned from a briefing by a White House official that the US did not believe Australia was doing enough.
As leaders prepared to speak, Prime Minister Scott Morrison again said
that Australia’s “preference” was to get to net zero emissions by 2050,
and that it would
use technology to get there.
Late on Friday night Australian time, Morrison was invited to speak and told
the summit that Australia is on a pathway to achieve net zero emissions.
He boasted about Australia’s prior performance and emphasised that “how” to get to net zero was as important as “when”.
He outlined the significant funding his government was committing to research and development of renewable energy, carbon capture and storage and carbon sequestration methods.
As expected the US committed to nearly doubling its reduction target to 50 percent by 2030, and China reaffirmed its 2060 goal and its plans to see its coal use peak in five years.
Reaction to Australia’s speech was mixed at best, with one scientist telling us that speed of action was absolutely critical and that dismissing this amounted to a “diplomatic affront”.
The former Kiribati president Anote Tong observed that though he was glad Scott Morrison had referred to the “Pacific family” in his speech, family members should care for one another’s welfare.
Links
Last Friday, Biden returned the United States to the world stage on climate, convening a meeting of 40 world leaders, including Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
Biden’s goal was to reassert American leadership and encourage the world to focus on the climate crisis in the lead-up to the United Nations climate talks in Glasgow in November.
The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald’s climate and environment team covered the conference from Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne and worked closely with North America Correspondent Matthew Knott.
Our coverage began in the weeks before the leaders convened, with analysis of grim new reports about the state of the climate from Australian and international scientific bodies.
At the start of April, we reported that the Australian Academy of Science believes that because we have delayed action for so long it is now “virtually impossible” to keep global warming under the more ambitious Paris Agreement goal of 1.5 degrees and that as a result, the Great Barrier Reef is all but doomed.
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| As Australia tiptoes to 2050 climate targets, the world moves on 2030 |
Pressure mounted on Australia to increase our own ambitions. As the talks approached the team began to explore what the impact might be on Australia if it did not.
Pascal Lamy, the former head of the World Trade organisation explained to us why he believed a European Union border tariff on some Australian goods was reasonable and inevitable.
Australian security chiefs and even former Chief of the Defence Force, Admiral Chris Barrie, told The Age and the Herald about their concerns that Australia was not prepared for the security threat presented by climate change.
Days before the summit was to begin, news broke that China and the US had agreed to cooperate on climate, to the massive relief of international observers.
We secured an interview with Australia’s US Ambassador, Arthur Sinodinis, who explained that he had spoken with Biden’s climate envoy, John Kerry, and that Australia planned to work with the world to tackle the threat.
Nonetheless, we learned from a briefing by a White House official that the US did not believe Australia was doing enough.
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| Scott Morrison’s speech to the Leaders Summit on Climate annotated |
As leaders prepared to speak, Prime Minister Scott Morrison again said
that Australia’s “preference” was to get to net zero emissions by 2050,
and that it would
use technology to get there.
By then though the world had moved on, with key players
focussed on 2030.
Late on Friday night Australian time, Morrison was invited to speak and told
the summit that Australia is on a pathway to achieve net zero emissions.
He boasted about Australia’s prior performance and emphasised that “how” to get to net zero was as important as “when”.
He outlined the significant funding his government was committing to research and development of renewable energy, carbon capture and storage and carbon sequestration methods.
As expected the US committed to nearly doubling its reduction target to 50 percent by 2030, and China reaffirmed its 2060 goal and its plans to see its coal use peak in five years.
Reaction to Australia’s speech was mixed at best, with one scientist telling us that speed of action was absolutely critical and that dismissing this amounted to a “diplomatic affront”.
The former Kiribati president Anote Tong observed that though he was glad Scott Morrison had referred to the “Pacific family” in his speech, family members should care for one another’s welfare.
Links
- ‘Liver of the oceans’: Morrison banks on blue carbon for climate action
- Climate is king in blue-ribbon Liberal electorate with a green heart
- Morrison’s long walk to net zero
- The feds have ditched us on climate change, it’s time we ditch them too
- Scott Morrison’s speech to the Leaders Summit on Climate annotated
- ‘Bankable’: Morrison promotes Australia’s climate record at US summit
- Biden opens global summit with ambitious new US climate pledge
- Gas-led recovery architect backs net zero target by 2050
- Technology is crucial to cutting emissions, but only part of the story
- Australia lags as the world looks to new 2030 climate targets
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