Australia sets new climate target in the landmark bill

• Legislation enshrining a commitment to reduce carbon emissions by 43% by 2030 and to net zero by 2050 has been passed by the Australian parliament.
• The objective puts the nation, which ranks among the top polluters globally per capita, more in line with other wealthy nations.
• Critics contend that the government’s strategies to achieve the goal are not specific enough.

Legislation enshrining a commitment to reduce carbon emissions by 43% by 2030 and to net zero by 2050 has been passed by the Australian parliament.

The objective puts the nation, which ranks among the top polluters globally per capita, more in line with other wealthy nations.

Critics contend that the government’s strategies to achieve the goal are not specific enough. A higher objective and a prohibition on new fossil fuel projects in the nation have both been demanded by some.

However, the Climate Change Bill was hailed by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese as putting an end to a decade of inaction on climate policy. Since the party came to office in May, this is the first meaningful measure against climate change.

After the Senate accepted modest revisions proposed by the independent David Pocock, the Labor government’s climate bill passed by a vote of 37 to 30.

According to The Guardian, climate change minister Chris Bowen told lawmakers that “this is a fantastic day for our parliament and our country, and we’re going to need many more of them.”

With its short-term emissions reduction target, which was less than half of what the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says is required if the world is to have any hope of limiting warming to 1.5C, the old administration had angered supporters.

However, there is a lot of support in the parliament for taking more climate change action.

On the subject of climate change, many independents ran for office and demanded a 2030 goal of at least 50%.

The Green Party, meanwhile, described the bill’s passage as a “modest step” toward addressing the climate catastrophe. Most people also support a ban on new coal and gas projects, which they claim is necessary to reach the goal.

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