Australia gives in-principle support for net zero by 2050

By ROD McGUIRK
Associated Press

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced that a fifth National’s party minister will join his Cabinet as part of deal to cement the junior coalition partner’s support for a national target of zero net carbon emissions by 2050. The National party’s in-principle support for the target is a breakthrough for Morrison. He wants to take a more ambitious plan to reduce Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions to a U.N. climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland, later this week. Australia is one of the world’s largest exporters of coal and liquified natural gas and one of the world’s worst greenhouse gas emitters per capita because of its heavy reliance on coal-fired power. The rural-based Nationals are increasingly seen as advocates for fossil fuel industries.