Australia's opposition to ditch 2050 net-zero pledge

Australia's conservative opposition said on Nov 13 it will drop its commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 if it wins power and leads a country dependent on fossil fuels but highly vulnerable to climate change.

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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's centre-left government has poured billions into solar power, wind turbines and green manufacturing, and pledged to make Australia a renewable energy superpower.

It has also pledged to slash planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions by up to 70 per cent from 2005 levels over the next decade, and is campaigning to co-host 2026's UN climate summit alongside Pacific Island neighbours - some of the most climate-threatened nations in the world.

The opposition centre-right Liberal Party has agonised in recent weeks over whether to drop the net-zero emissions pledge, introduced in 2021 by the party's former leader Scott Morrison when he was prime minister.

After days of closed-door debate with party top brass, opposition leader Sussan Ley on Nov 13 said her party would drop the goal if it returned to office. She said it remained committed to "responding to climate change in a way that is affordable, responsible and achievable".

Ms Ley added that "net zero would be welcome", but the target would have to be achieved without government intervention.