Friday marked 100 days until the critical COP26 United Nations climate summit starts in Glasgow and the milestone was marked by renewed urgency in climate action. Alok Sharma, the Conservative UK cabinet minister who will be the formal host of the Glasgow talks, used it to write to relevant ministers around the world and call upon them to raise ambitions. “Although significant progress has been made, we must be honest that collectively we have not yet delivered at the scale and pace that science requires,” read his letter. “The world will be watching in Glasgow and it is our shared responsibility to rise to the challenge.”
Tag: climate summit
Expectations of Australia heading into the summit were low – a fact perhaps reflected in the summit’s agenda. Morrison’s address was way down in the running order – he was 21st of 27 speakers. Biden was reportedly not in the room when Morrison spoke. And in an unfortunate glitch, Morrison’s microphone was on mute at the start of his speech.
The summit did deliver some major gains. There was palpable relief as Biden brought the US back to the table on global climate efforts, committing to an emissions-reduction target twice the ambition of Australia’s. Other nations including Japan, Canada and Britain also outlined major new commitments.
But sadly for Australians, the summit revealed the stark contrast in climate policy leadership between Morrison and his international peers.
Australia the biggest coal exporter is the biggest enabler that’s a plan (ODT)
via Australia to attend climate summit empty-handed despite UN pleas to ‘come with a plan’
Coal has no future in the world’s energy mix, UN warns, ahead of New York summit
The UN has warned that coal has no future in the world’s energy mix, as world leaders gather ahead of a major climate summit in New York.
The Federal Government says coal will serve as an affordable, dependable energy source for decades to come, but the UN’s climate chief has questioned whether that is in Australia’s best interests long-term.
“This is a question for which there is no simple answer … but to simply ignore the problem and hope that someone can continue with business as usual because one happens to sit on a mountain of coal or on a great deal of oil I think is ultimately not going to be the answer.”
Well at the moment in the Middle East oil access no longer guaranteed our dirty coal is no longer wanted. So why other than promises made is our government the only country in the world about to go like an Italian tank? 6 gears backwards? Hey Mr Abbott why are we subsidizing a dying business?
Julie Bishop rejects UN request to strengthen Australian climate targets
EXCLUSIVE
Australia is refusing to take a plan for deeper cuts to greenhouse gas emissions to a special world leaders’ climate summit in New York next week.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott is not attending, despite planning to be in New York a day later for special UN talks on the escalating military situation in Iraq. Ms Bishop said she would reaffirm Australia’s commitment to reduce emissions by 5 per cent on 2000 levels by 2020.
The government will also use the New York meeting to drum up support for an Asia-Pacific rainforest summit in Sydney in November and to join a global declaration to phase down the use of hydrofluorocarbons, so-called “super greenhouse gases” used for refrigeration and air conditioning.
Ms Bishop said the proposal was “an opportunity for governments, business and NGOs to commit to protective steps” for rainforests and preserve their environmental, economic and social benefits.
Earlier this week Mr Ban said he expected Tuesday’s summit to lay the framework for putting a price on carbon.The Abbott government became the first country in the world in July to abolish a carbon price and its alternative direct action policy is in limbo without support in the Senate.
But the Foreign Minister said she would not lay down plans for targets beyond 2020.
“We’re looking at what other countries are doing.”But there is growing urgency from environmental groups for the government to define what its post-2020 target will be and how that will contribute to international efforts to keep global warming below two degrees, which scientists say would avoid the worst effects of climate change.
“The real tragedy in Australia is we’re focusing on 2020 and not on 2050, which is where international negotiations are headed 125 nation states will be attending.
Protecting the interests of capital is far more important to this government than being a global citizen. Besides Murdoch is a climate skeptic and we still have a lot of dirty coal to sell the promises were made before the election.
olddogthoughts 
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