Climate change: Albanese flags bigger cuts to emissions at G20 summit

Anthony Albanese has flagged Australia will make bigger cuts to its emissions as he urged the world’s largest economies to rapidly increase production of green energy technology.

The Prime Minister also warned the climate had already changed and the world must turn its mind to “urgent, comprehensive action”.

His comments to the G20 leaders meeting in New Delhi on Saturday came after United Nations secretary-general Antonio Guterres called on the gathering to “keep the 1.5-degree goal alive” and said all approvals and funding for fossil fuel projects must stop.

Mr Albanese said after another year of extreme climate impacts and devastating weather events, there had to be “a robust and honest assessment of the gap between our ambitions and our actions” on cutting emissions and halting global warming.

“We cannot let this opportunity slip from our grasp,” he said, pointing to the global stocktake that will be done at the UN climate conference in December.

“We can, and must, act with the urgency and leadership demanded by the truly global scale of the challenge.

“Australia will step up and we will play our part.”

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi opened the G20 summit by warning leaders the world had come through the COVID pandemic only to be faced with a crisis of trust.

“This period in the 21st century is the time to give the entire world a new direction. It is a time in which age-old challenges are demanding new solutions from us,” he said.

Australia has pledged to cut emissions 43 per cent by 2030 and reach net-zero by 2050, but it is expected to significantly increase these commitments as it lobbies to host a UN climate conference.

Ahead of the G20 opening, Mr Guterres said that “half-measures will not prevent full climate breakdown”.

“The climate crisis is spiralling out of control. But G20 countries are in control,” he said.

The G20 climate ministers meeting in July ended without a joint statement as countries failed to agree on points including an aim to peak emissions by 2025, and pledges to pursue the shift to clean energy and a tax on carbon.

However, a draft version of the final leaders’ communique does include an agreement on climate action, Reuters reported.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said China had objected to proposals on climate and Ukraine in the agreement.

But late on Saturday Mr Modi announced a consensus had been reached and the leadership declaration would be adopted.

Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning insisted her country would work towards positive outcomes for the G20 summit.

“On climate change, we hope parties will accommodate each other’s concerns, follow the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, and jointly respond to the challenge,” she said.

Mr Albanese said the leaders gathered in the room had the capacity to drive global decarbonisation.

“The G20 must rapidly increase the manufacture of renewable technologies,” he urged.

“By building robust global supply chains for clean energy technologies, we will drive down the costs for all ensuring growing economies are powered by clean energy and creating good, secure jobs for workers in new industries.”

His Government has focused on the opportunities the shift to clean energy presents for Australia’s resources sector, although there are fears from some in the industry not enough is being done to capitalise on the potential.