- The Australian government is now confident it will meet the carbon emission targets set during the Paris Agreements, without the use of controversial “carry-over credits”
- The government had previously claimed that by exceeding its previous Kyoto emission targets it could use the excess cuts to offset its Paris Agreement commitments
- However, at a recent meeting of Pacific Island leaders, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he is “very confident” that Australia will meet the targets without using the credits
- Under the Paris Agreements, Australia has committed to cut emissions by between 26 and 28 per cent by 2030
- Current government projections estimate the nation is on track to reach a 29 per cent reduction by 2030
The Australian government is now confident it will meet the carbon emission targets set during the Paris Agreements, without the use of controversial “carry-over credits”.
As part of the agreements, Australia committed to cut its emissions output by between 26 and 28 per cent by 2030. In the past the government has suggested the use of so-called “carry-over credits” to meet the targets.
The government claimed that by exceeding the previous Kyoto target it could use the excess emission cuts to offset its Paris Agreement targets, a move which was widely criticised.
However, Prime Minister Scott Morrison is now saying the government is “very confident” in hitting the targets without using the credits.
“Today I can announce that Australia is very confident that we will now achieve our 2030 target without the need to draw on our carry-over credits,” the Prime Minister said in a virtual meeting of the Pacific Islands Forum on Friday.
Many other leaders at the forum have criticised the use of “carry-over credits” to meet the targets, opting to sign the 2019 Nadi Bay Declaration, which asks nations to “refrain” from relying credits to meet emission targets.
Earlier this week, Australian Energy Minister Angus Taylor revealed that the nation is on track to reach a 29 per cent reduction by 2030, according to the latest government projections.
“When we make commitments, we meet them. We have a clear plan to meet and beat our 2030 target and the updated projections reflect Australia’s strong performance,” Taylor added.
Despite the positive projections, when Prime Minister Morrison was later questioned about an Australian net-zero emissions target like those recently set by China and Japan, he declined to answer.