As the Glasgow climate summit comes to a head and the Liberals’ weak 2030 targets place Australia under increasing pressure, Scott Morrison is again readying Australia to sabotage a global climate consensus by blocking political momentum for a ‘ratcheting up’ of 2030 targets.

With Australia failing to raise ambition for 2030, the draft communique from COP26 is planning to specifically call upon nations who have insufficient mid-term targets to return next year to COP27 in Egypt with increased ambition consistent with the science.

The Greens have vowed to fight Scott Morrison’s move to bankroll carbon capture and storage, saying public funds should not be funnelled to billionaire coal and gas corporations for unicorn technology.  

“The way to tackle climate change is to get out of fossil fuels, but Scott Morrison wants to funnel public funds to coal and gas corporations for a unicorn technology they haven’t been able to make work themselves,” said Greens Leader, Adam Bandt.

At an event last night to mark the 10th anniversary of the carbon price being legislated, Greens Leader Adam Bandt - whose victory in the seat of Melbourne led to the establishment of a Multi-Party Climate Change Committee that developed a world-leading suite of climate policies - has released modelling showing the carbon price was operating so effectively that had it not been repealed, the Liberals weak 2030 targets would have been met in 2020, a full decade early.

The Greens say that the government’s proposed integrity body would be incapable of investigating new revelations that Assistant Treasurer Michael Sukkar knew that his office was using public funds to boost the power of his Liberal Party faction, and have called on the PM to bring on the Greens' gold standard National Integrity Commission Bill for a vote.

Greens deputy leader and spokesperson on democracy Senator Larissa Waters said:

The Greens say today’s report that more than 98% of the Great Barrier Reef’s coral reefs have suffered bleaching is a damning indictment of the Morrison Government’s climate inaction and exposes the sickening cynicism of its campaign to keep the Reef off UNESCO’s “in danger” list earlier this year.

Greens deputy leader and Queensland Senator Larissa Waters said:

“Climate change and pollution have already killed off half of the Great Barrier Reef’s coral cover, endangering this precious natural asset and the 60,000 jobs that rely on it.

Scott Morrison has departed Glasgow after committing Australia to the international consortium of climate sabotage alongside Russia and Saudi Arabia.

​​In a major announcement, more than 40 countries have agreed to phase out coal-fired power, but Australia has refused to sign on, with Liberal and Labor instead wanting more coal and gas.

As global momentum grows to match commitments with the goals of the Paris agreement, Australia is running a protection racket for coal and gas through accounting tricks, “non binding targets”, interference and delay tactics.

The Greens have slammed the PM’s refusal to sign the EU and US global methane pledge, after it was announced this morning that over 100 countries have now become signatories.

It is appalling that Labor is also refusing to back the pledge.

The pledge commits to reducing global methane emissions by 30% on 2020 levels by 2030 and would significantly reduce warming.

The Greens have today launched a Horse Racing Transition Plan to shut down commercial horse racing in Australia. After years of exposes on the cruelty of the horse racing industry, seven horses having died at the last eight Melbourne Cup races, and ongoing concerns about the power and influence of the gambling industry, the Greens say it is beyond time to shut this industry down.

Scott Morrison has been caught lying in his speech to world leaders at Glasgow, deliberately misrepresenting Australia’s climate targets in his major official engagement at the climate summit. 

Australian Greens International Development spokesperson Senator Mehreen Faruqi has responded to Scott Morrison’s commitment to an additional $500 million in climate finance through to 2025.

Senator Faruqi said:

“This is a disappointing, measly commitment. Australia’s total commitment falls far short of the bare minimum $3 billion to 2025 that was called for by aid organisations ahead of Glasgow.

“Morrison is offering up scraps and hoping no one notices. But the reality is that Australia is again failing to pull its weight.