After “ten years of denial”, the Australian government on Monday reached a landmark climate deal that will force the country’s biggest polluters to cut emissions.
Under the agreement, Australia’s 215 most polluting installations, such as coal mines and gas-fired power plants, must reduce their net emissions by almost 5% per year by 2030.
Fossil fuels and mining form the backbone of Australia’s economy, and attempts to reduce carbon pollution have been undermined by bitter political disputes in recent years.
The centre-left government reached this agreement after weeks of tense negotiations with the Greens.
Australia is finally meeting its commitments after “10 years of denial, delay and inaction,” said Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
The country has pledged to reduce its emissions by 43% by the end of 2030, removing about 200 million tons of carbon from the atmosphere, the government predicts.
The adopted text is due to be presented to Parliament this week and will enter into force on 1 July.
Previously skeptical, whose support is needed to get the bill through the Senate against Tory opposition, the Greens agreed to back the plan after convincing the government to set a firm cap on emissions.
Companies must therefore reduce their pollution levels every year.
While some environmentalists said the cuts are too low, Australia’s mining industry warned the new policy could result in massive job losses.
Global mining giants Rio Tinto and BHP, operators in Australia, will be forced to comply.
For David Schlosberg, director of the Institute for the Environment in Sydney, this plan is “better than the policy of inaction that Australia has pursued for more than a decade”, but it is only “a start”.
Australia is one of the largest coal exporters in the world and thus one of the biggest laggards in climate protection.