Highlights

• Australia pledges a 62% cut in emissions by 2035 compared with 2005 levels.
• Government risk report warns of deadly heatwaves, rising seas, and major property losses.
• Political divide grows as opposition rejects the higher climate target while environmental groups criticise new fossil fuel approvals.

Australia has announced a new climate target, which aims to cut carbon emissions by at least 62% by 2035 compared with 2005 levels.

This decision raises the country’s ambition beyond the earlier promise of a 43% cut by 2030. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the plan as based on scientific advice and existing technology when he unveiled it on Thursday.

The announcement follows a government-commissioned risk assessment that warns of worsening extreme weather due to climate change.

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The report notes that temperatures have already risen above 1.5 °C, a threshold many experts see as dangerous. It forecasts more heatwave-related deaths, poorer water quality from flooding and bushfires, and sea level rises that could threaten about 1.5 million people.

Property losses could reach A$611 billion, according to the findings.

This new target aligns with Australia’s commitments under the Paris Climate Agreement, where nations agreed to limit global temperature rises to 1.5 °C.

The Climate Change Authority, a government advisory body, recommended a range of 62% to 70% reductions by 2035. Albanese is expected to confirm the pledge at the United Nations General Assembly in New York later this month.

However, political debate remains intense. The Liberal National coalition, the main opposition, is divided over the net zero by 2050 plan. Opposition leader Sussan Ley declared that the coalition rejects the 2035 target, saying it lacks credibility and will be costly. At the same time, independent and Greens MPs argue that emissions cuts must be even faster.

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The Albanese government has promoted the idea of Australia as a renewable energy superpower, yet it continues to approve fossil fuel projects.

A recent decision to let the Woodside North West Shelf gas project operate until 2070 drew sharp criticism from environmental groups. Greens Senator Larissa Waters described the approval as a “betrayal,” highlighting the tension between climate goals and ongoing fossil fuel development.

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Source: BBC