Pressure on the Government of Australia to improve its 2030 emissions goal is expected to augment and continue into next year, anticipate credible sources from Glasgow climate summit.

For starter, Australia was one of the few countries that failed to improve on its short-term climate commitment which is formally known as a Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC). The country has also rejected direct calls from the allies in the US, Britain, Europe, and the Pacific.    

Sources have reported that the Australian government re-submitted the 2030 target which was set before the Paris agreement inked in 2015. The target required its emission levels to reduce by 26-28% as compared to that in 2005.

For the uninitiated, countries are supposed to ramp up their commitments every five years towards global carbon neutrality. This year the US had reportedly doubled its 2030 target while other G7 nations have set goals to reduce emissions by a minimum 40%. Besides, India has pledged to have 50% renewable energy while China has also given a more modest rise.

Speaking on the matter, a former Australian climate diplomat now with the Australia Institute, Richie Merzian stated that the country was under increasing pressure. It has failed in its attempts to slip away with a weak net-zero plan while the international community is seeking an immediate increase in the target and effort, Merzian added.  

Estimates about how substantial the new commitments could be in limiting emissions have been varying. Certain studies have shown that if adhered to, they could continue heating to below 2 degree Celsius above pre-industrial levels. However, a United Nations assessment has found that they would still result in the rise of global emissions by 13.7% in 2030.      

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has reportedly allocated an additional USD 500 million as climate funding over five years, which is less than various comparable countries. According to the Greenpeace investigation, less than a quarter of Australian climate projects made any actual mentions about environment concerns or climate change.  

Source Credit: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/nov/08/australia-to-face-growing-international-pressure-to-improve-2030-emissions-target