Canberra, Oct 16 (IANS) Australia’s biggest industry group on Saturday called for the government to reduce Australia’s climate change emissions by half by 2030.
“has been strengthening rapidly”Innes Willox
Innes Willox, chief executive of the Australian Industry (Ai) Group, wrote in comments to Guardian Australia on Saturday that arguments for stronger climate action have been “growing rapidly” while costs are “lower than expected.”
It comes a day after Prime Minister Scott Morrison confirmed his appearance at the U.N. Climate Change Conference that is taking place in Glasgow and that he will outline the government’s long-term emissions reduction aim before leaving.
Willox wrote that the new package must contain three key commitments: a net zero commitment in 2050, a much larger 2030 commitment and policies to meet these objectives.
Australia’s current climate-change target, adopted in 2015, is to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions from greenhouse gases to 26-28 percent below 2005 levels by 2030.
Ai Group represents more than 60.000 companies that employ over 1 million Australians in manufacturing, construction, mining and defence industries.
Some members of Morrison’s government coalition have ruled out backing the net-zero target, which would affect employment in regional areas.
But Willox said studies conducted by Ai Group showed that “both bad policy and no policy” on climate change “see Australia lose jobs and investment overseas.”
