National MPs have unanimously voted to ditch the party’s pledge to reach net zero emissions by 2050, paving the way for a potential clash with the Liberals over Coalition climate policy.
While abandoning the 2050 target, the party has vowed to continue addressing climate change.
Nationals leader David Littleproud made the formal announcement on Sunday afternoon.
‘We continue to believe that we need to reduce emissions, but we’ve got to do it in a better, fairer, cheaper way for all Australians,’ Littleproud said.
‘We believe that we can peg ourselves to the rest of the world. We’re not going to be a laggard, but we’re not going to streak ahead.’
Littleproud said the Nationals’ decision was about bringing common sense back to climate and energy policy.
‘This is about saying we’re going to live up to our commitments internationally,’ he said.
‘We’re going to do that sensibly, but we’re going to do what they’re doing at their pace, not streak ahead.’
Nationals leader David Littleproud (pictured) made the formal announcement on Sunday
Liberal leader Sussan Ley (pictured) has said she does not want to pursue net zero at any cost butthere is broad agreement internally that Australia must reduce greenhouse gas emissions
Abandoning official climate targets sets up a potential showdown between the Nationals and their coalition partner the Liberals, who are also reviewing their approach to climate change after their disastrous election defeat.
On Saturday, Nationals party faithful voted to ditch net zero by 2050 from the regional party’s official platform.
The vote is non-binding but widely seen as a prelude to Sunday’s meeting.
Liberal leader Sussan Ley has said she does not want to pursue net zero at any cost but party sources say there is broad agreement internally Australia must reduce its greenhouse gas emissions in some way.
Mr Littleproud said he had called Ms Ley to inform her of the Nationals position and that he hoped the two parties could see eye-to-eye on the issue but argued the Nationals had been at the ‘epicentre’ of the country’s transition to green energy.
Sunday’s party room meeting was informed by a Page Research Centre report commissioned by the Nationals.
Under the Paris Agreement signed a decade ago, Australia and other member states must increase their emissions reduction targets every five years and cannot water them down.
The Labor government is committed to net zero by 2050 and is chasing an interim target of 62 per cent to 70 per cent emissions cuts by 2035.
Power-generating windmill turbines are seen 50km south of Goulburn
A target of 82 per cent of electricity sourced from renewables by 2030 is key to meeting climate its goals.
Households, the economy and the environment will all be hit hard by unchecked climate change, Australia’s first National Climate Risk Assessment revealed in September.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the internal debate within the coalition as a ‘circus,’ and said Australia was particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.
‘It is in our national interest for there to be action to reduce our emissions and to act on climate change,’ he told Sky News.
