The Liberals have dumped a commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 as Sussan Ley pledges to drive down energy prices for households.
The opposition leader announced her party’s climate policy, promising to scrap the target in addition to removing Labor’s legislated 43 per cent emissions reduction by 2030 if elected at the next federal election.
The decision follows a shadow cabinet meeting and weeks of division over the issue, which has intensified pressure on Ms Ley’s leadership.
“The Liberal Party I lead will not stand by and let Australians get crushed by these high power prices,” she told reporters in Canberra on Thursday.
“I can look Australians in the eye and say that prices will always be more affordable under us.”
The party also commits to reducing emissions against the real performance of comparable countries.
Under the plan, the life of ageing coal-fired power plants would be extended and new supply of gas would be brought in faster.
The party has maintained its support for staying within the international Paris agreement, signed in 2015, which requires members to increase their emissions targets every five years.
Asked how the party will do this when the agreement does not allow watering down of targets, Ms Ley said her party’s policy would “always be in the interests of affordable energy for Australian households”.
Pressed on whether this would breach the treaty, opposition energy spokesman Dan Tehan said the party’s policy would be taken to the election.
He pointed to carbon capture and storage technologies as a way to lower emissions year-on-year despite backing the build of new polluting sources of energy.
Mr Tehan said state governments would be supported in keeping coal assets online.
Nationals leader David Littleproud said Australia’s contribution should not “streak ahead” of comparable economies failing to do their share of climate action.
“I give the commitment over the coming couple of days that the National Party will work constructively with them (Liberals) to finalise our coalition policy that will start that conversation not about science, the science is settled, but about the economics,” he said.
“We’re not running away from climate change.”
Mr Tehan, moderate Anne Ruston and conservative Jonno Duniam will negotiate with the Nationals on a joint coalition position.
They will enter discussions with Nationals senators Matt Canavan, Ross Cadell and Susan McDonald in the coming days before a joint partyroom meeting on Sunday to rubber-stamp a policy.
Moderate frontbenchers including NSW senators Andrew Bragg and Maria Kovacic have flagged their difficulty in remaining in shadow cabinet if the party endorses backing away from its existing net-zero pledge.
Achieving net zero means balancing the amount of greenhouse gases produced by humans with the amount being removed from the atmosphere.
The Labor government has legislated a 2050 deadline for the goal, while it has also set an interim target under the Paris Agreement of achieving between 62 and 70 per cent emissions reductions by 2035 compared with 2005 levels.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said dropping net zero would take Australia backwards.
“Australians cannot afford to keep paying the price of coalition infighting when it comes to climate policy and energy policy,” he told reporters in Sydney.
The Australian Conservation Foundation said abandoning net-zero undermined the rollout of low-cost renewables and would not do anything to cut power bills. – AAP
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