11/12/2021

(AU SMH) Glasgow Was A Success, Pity About Australia: Paris Accord Author

Sydney Morning Herald - Nick O'Malley

One of the world’s leading climate diplomats has voiced her disappointment that Prime Minister Scott Morrison “walked back” elements of Australia’s Glasgow climate commitments before the “ink was dry on the paper”.

Laurence Tubiana, the French economist and diplomat considered to be the key architect of the Paris climate accord, will use her appearance at the Australasian Emissions Reductions Conference in Sydney on Thursday to provide an overview of the Glasgow conference, which she believes was broadly successful in accelerating the global response to the climate crisis.

French economist and climate diplomat Laurence Tubiana.

She will say it proved the Paris Agreement mechanism to use peer pressure to have nations regularly meet to strengthen emission reductions targets is working, but some countries are not responding to the climate “Australia is really in the middle of this storm,” she has told the host of the conference, the Carbon Markets Institute chief executive John Connor, in a pre-recorded discussion to be aired at the conference.

She says it was disappointing that Australia did not improve on its commitment to reduce emissions by 26 to 28 per cent by 2030 at the COP, and even more disappointing that shortly after it ended, “your prime minister Mr Morrison ... walked back from the commitments almost before the ink was dry”.

Glasgow summitA “women problem” ... former Liberal deputy leader Julie Bishop.
The Glasgow Pact signed by all nations that attended included a commitment that countries would revisit their 2030 targets in the coming year, but hours after it was signed the Australian government said its target was fixed. The government projects it will exceed the target and reach a 35 per cent reduction.

“It is a pity because of the gift that Australia has received from nature. Australia has an enormous potential in terms of renewable energy,” she said, citing space and coastline for wave, wind and solar power production.

The conference in Sydney will also be addressed by Energy and Emissions Reductions Minister Angus Taylor, NSW Treasurer and Environment Minister Matt Kean as well as leaders such as Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama.

Mr Bainimarama will use the conference to urge Australia to reconsider its commitments in line with the Glasgow Pact, and say “the opportunity to contest this vital tenet of the pact was during COP26, not after it”.

Credit: Matt Golding
“We also need to see more ambition from the Australian government on its dangerous addiction to coal,” Mr Bainimarama will say. “We understand the place coal occupies in the Australian economy and in Australian history and culture, but we need to further explore how we take this option off the table.

“Australia is not only in an influential position to phase out coal sales globally, it is also in a position to become a centre for global energy innovation with its abundance of renewable energy potential.”

The conference runs over two days.

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