By Renju Jose and Colin Packham
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison will on Tuesday announce details of a planned 2050 net zero emissions target, a source told Reuters, after agreeing a deal with his coalition government’s junior partner.
Morrison has been under mounting global pressure to take further action to cut carbon emissions in Australia, which is one of the world’s largest emitters of greenhouse gases on a per capita basis.
The junior National Party, which has a strong power base in regional parts of the country that are more reliant on industries such as agriculture and mining, has long been a stumbling block to revised climate policies.
However, the party said on Sunday it would support the 2050 target if Morrison’s Cabinet endorsed agreements made in secret negotiations.
The Australian Financial Review reported the deal included an agreement for Morrison to increase spending on regional infrastructure and offer tax benefits for income derived from carbon farming.
The source, who was familiar with the deal and not authorised to speak publicly, declined to comment on details.
The major policy shift for the conservative Liberal Party-led coalition government comes just before Morrison is due to attend next weekend’s United Nations COP26 climate summit in Glasgow.
While the zero emissions target will likely ease international pressure, it is less clear how it will resonate in regional and rural Australia.
Morrison must call an election by May 2022. A widely watched poll on Monday showed he is on course to lose to the centre-left Labor party.
(Reporting by Renju Jose and Colin Packham; editing by Jane Wardell)
