The Nationals have finally agreed to work with the Liberal Party to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, one week out from the UN climate change conference in Glasgow.

This decision comes after 48 hours of negotiations between the Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce, and follows a two-hour National partyroom meeting on Sunday.

While finer details on what policies have been agreed on and what exactly has been negotiated is still yet to be released, the Guardian reports that by the end of the two-hour conversation, a majority of nationals were in favour of the net-zero transition.

In the greater scheme of things.. more works needs to be done

The article makes the point that although a higher emissions reduction target for 2030 as well as the mid-century commitment was what a number of Liberals wanted, “the nationals vetoed an increase in the medium-term straight out of the blocks.”

This means that Morrison is set to go to Glasgow “with a new projection showing Australia will reduce emissions by 2030 by more than the agreed 26 to 28% – but not with a new target, which is what key allies including the United States and the UK wanted Australia to deliver.

“While all the frenzied political debate in Australia has hinged around 2050, in Glasgow all the substantive focus will be on 2030 – a reality that amply demonstrates just how Australia stubbornly lags the global reality.”

And in the greater scheme of things, this “agreement” signifies that there is a lot more work that needs to be done.

 

Concerns remain for National party

Deputy leader of the Nationals David Littleproud told Skynews that while policy discussions “happened behind closed doors” nuclear is something that the party stands “firmly behind”.

“But we understand that you have to educate before you legislate, and the electorate isn’t necessarily there with us at the moment – there’s new technologies that are emerging, so we’ve got to be pragmatic about that.”

He also said there were concerns of future governments “turning the tables” on regional and rural Australia.

Littleproud referred to the national soil strategy, where he said the nats have been looking into soil sequestration, which could change “not only the abatement of carbon but also productivity of the agricultural land.”

“What we are concerned about is that future governments may turn that around,” he said.

“If you look back to the last two elections the labour party has campaigned on national vegetation laws and that would take away property rights without looking at pragmatic ways of managing the landscape.”

 

Canavan to campaign against net-zero

Queensland Senator Matthew Canavan told the Australian he will openly campaign against the National and Liberal position on net zero at the upcoming election, stating that the nation faces “the prospect of blackouts and pressure on food supply chains.”

“I will keep the flame alive for the working class people of Australia who don’t want their lives to be sold out at international climate change conferences,” he said.

“We can all see what’s happening in Europe, where the lights have gone out.”

“Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like we will wake up to ourselves until we have black outs, can’t provide petrol, and we start putting pressure on our food supply chains.”