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This Week in AsiaOpinion
Hari Raj
Hari Raj

Opinion | Scott Morrison’s stance on climate change is a ‘code red’ in itself

  • The Australian prime minister pointed blame at China’s carbon footprint after the UN released a damning report on the effects of global warming
  • His refusal to join the countries that have committed to net zero emissions comes as little surprise, given his record on climate issues

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Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s record on climate change is nothing if not consistent. Photo: EPA-EFE
Hari Raj
The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, released on Monday, is a horrifying prognosis of the catastrophic effects of human activity on the planet. The portrait it paints is vivid; a rise in global temperature of 1.5 degrees Celsius will result in more serious and frequent weather events, including fires, floods, and droughts.

Most people, and most governments, would take what the UN has dubbed a “code red for humanity” as a clarion call for immediate action to bolster the increasingly fragile systems that support life on Earth. Most would consider the sequence of supposedly once-in-a-lifetime climate events that have occurred in rapid succession, from devastating wildfires in Australia and the United States to massive flooding in Germany, Belgium, and China.

Then again, most people are not Scott Morrison.

The Australian prime minister’s response to the IPCC report was a masterclass in political obfuscation. In a press conference, he refused to join the more than 110 countries that have already committed to a target of net zero emissions by 2050. He pointed blame at the carbon footprint of China, which has set a 2060 net-zero target. And he said he would not sign “a blank cheque on behalf of Australians to targets without plans”, as such commitments mean “you always end up paying in higher taxes”.

Australia is the world’s largest exporter of coal and gas, which together account for a quarter of its export income, or about A$120 billion (US$88 billion) a year. Coal has for years been ranked as Australia’s No 2 export behind iron ore, but its three biggest customers for the fuel – China, Japan, and South Korea – have all set zero-emissions targets, the latter two by 2050.

Morrison’s record on climate change is nothing if not consistent. In 2017, when he was treasurer, he brought a lump of coal into parliament in an almost wilfully juvenile attempt at show and tell. “Don’t be afraid, don’t be scared, it won’t hurt you,” Morrison said, mocking the federal opposition’s bid to transition to renewable energy while parts of Australia sweltered during one of the most severe heatwaves it had ever experienced.
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