Australia raises 'climate ambition goal', pledges 62–70% emissions cut by 2035

Australia, one of the largest polluters per capita in the world, has announced plans to slash its carbon emissions by at least 62 per cent compared to 2005 levels within the next decade. The new goal marks a sharp increase from its earlier pledge of a 43 per cent cut by 2030, as the country faced mounting criticism for its continued reliance on fossil fuels

Unveiling the new target on Thursday, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said, “This is a responsible target supported by science and a practical plan to get there, built on proven technology.”

As per the BBC report, a government-commissioned risk assessment released this week warned that man-made climate change is set to bring harsher and severe weather conditions in Australia. Meeting the new target to reduce emissions from 2005 levels forms part of its commitment for Australia under the obligation of the Paris Climate Agreement.

Albanese also confirmed the new target in line with an emission reduction benchmark range between 62 per cent and 70 per cent. This benchmark was recommended by the Climate Change Authority, a government body which provides climate policy advice. By later of this month, the PM will confirm the commitment at a meeting of the UN General Assembly in New York.

What is the commitment of the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement?

The 2015 Paris Climate Agreement committed world leaders to limit global warming to 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels, a threshold seen as vital to averting the worst effects of climate change. In recent years, like other nations, Australia has also faced an increasing number of climate-related weather extremes, including severe drought, historic bushfires and successive years of record-breaking floods.

The rise of ocean temperature has also triggered mass coral bleaching at the iconic Great Barrier Reef in Queensland and at Western Australia’s Ningaloo Reef. In a landmark report, recently released on Monday discovered that Australia has already surpassed 1.5 °C of warming, with no community immune from "cascading, compounding and concurrent" climate risks.

The study also warned that without stronger government action, the country faces escalating heatwave deaths, declining water quality from floods and fires, sea level rises threatening 1.5 million people, and a potential property value loss of A$611 billion ($406bn; £300bn).