Exclusive: Ambitious emissions reductions target would increase the country’s chance of winning rights to host Cop31 in 2026, Christiana Figueres says
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A former UN climate chief has urged the Australian government to set a greenhouse gas emissions reduction target of at least a 75% cut by 2035, backing calls from a group of more than 350 businesses that it would be better for the economy than a lower goal.
The intervention by Christiana Figueres, an architect of the 2015 Paris agreement when she was the executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, comes before discussions about Australia’s commitment, due to be announced next month.
Cabinet is yet to receive formal advice from the Climate Change Authority, chaired by the former NSW Liberal treasurer Matt Kean. A decision on the target is expected before Anthony Albanese attends the UN general assembly in New York in late September.
