Economics
Australia's Climate Wars Set to Heat Up After Coal Champion Wins
- Voters reject Labor’s plans to cut emissions, boost renewables
- Adani project remains lightning rod of environmental tensions
Emissions billow from cooling towers at a power station in Australia.
Photographer: Carla Gottgens/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s surprise victory in Australia’s election was a win for the coal industry and ensures the debate about tackling climate change will continue to polarize the nation.
Rather than backing the opposition Labor party’s plans for sweeping cuts to greenhouse gas emissions, voters fell in behind a conservative government that has refused to legislate its Paris Agreement commitments. Morrison once brandished a lump of coal in parliament as a mark of his support for the industry, and in focusing his energy policy on lowering electricity prices has derided the reliability of wind and solar.