PLEA Network

13 November 2021, Renew Economy, Morrison chooses fossil fuels over farmers in “laughable” net zero modelling. The Morrison government’s modelling of its emissions reduction “plan” reveals how the government has chosen fossil fuels over farmers, how it plans to grow – not shrink – Australia’s fossil gas industry and how it fails to deliver on a claimed commitment to reaching zero net emissions by 2050. The modelling release comes weeks after prime minister Scott Morrison announced he would commit Australia to a new 2050 target, and comes as climate talks in Glasgow head into their final hours – and where international climate groups have awarded Australia a “colossal fossil” award for its regressive policies. It is immediately evident from the 100-page report that the Morrison government is not actually aiming to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, but instead is aiming for an 85 per cent cut in Australian emissions. The government’s chosen path does not spell out how Australia would get to net zero emissions in 2050. Instead, a so-called “Plan” maps a path for Australia to cut domestic emissions by around 60 per cent, a further 25 per cent of Australia’s emissions being offset with credits purchased from overseas. It leaves a remaining 15 per cent of emissions reductions – needed to actually reach net zero – to unspecified and unexpected advancements in technologies. Read more here