Australia Submits more Ambitious 2030 Emissions Target to UN

Despite being ravaged by floods, fires, and droughts, Australia has long been seen as a laggard on climate action Muhammad FAROOQ AFP
Despite being ravaged by floods, fires, and droughts, Australia has long been seen as a laggard on climate action Muhammad FAROOQ AFP
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Australia Submits more Ambitious 2030 Emissions Target to UN

Despite being ravaged by floods, fires, and droughts, Australia has long been seen as a laggard on climate action Muhammad FAROOQ AFP
Despite being ravaged by floods, fires, and droughts, Australia has long been seen as a laggard on climate action Muhammad FAROOQ AFP

Australia's new center-left government submitted more ambitious emissions targets to the United Nations Thursday, seeking to end a decade of foot-dragging on climate change.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese raised the country's 2030 emissions reduction target to 43 percent, up from a more modest previous target of 26-28 percent, AFP said.

The new goal "sets Australia up for a prosperous future, a future powered by cleaner, cheaper energy," Albanese said.

Despite being ravaged by floods, fires and droughts, Australia has long been seen as a laggard on climate action.

The vast continent-country is replete with fossil fuel deposits and is one of the world's top exporters of coal and gas.

Coal still plays a key role in domestic electricity production.

In 2022, MIT ranked Australia 52nd of 76 nations on its Green Future Index, which rates how much countries are shifting towards an environmentally sustainable economy.

- The 'climate wars' -But Albanese made emissions cuts a centerpiece of his recent election campaign and pledged to "end the climate wars" that led to decades of policy stasis.

Albanese sought to frame the decision as an economic boon: "What business has been crying out for is investment certainty," he said.

The Business Council of Australia welcomed the raised targets, saying they "should be a line in the sand."

"Australia can't afford to stall progress again because failure will see Australians miss out on new opportunities, new industries and better jobs," the council's chief executive Jennifer Westacott said.

- 'Seize the opportunity' -Albanese said Thursday that world leaders had "all welcomed Australia's changed position" on climate action during his conversations with them since taking power last month.

The issue of emissions reduction and fossil fuel exports was a key point of tension between Australia's previous government and Pacific leaders, who have labelled climate change the greatest threat to their region.

Albanese tried to sidestep criticism that higher targets could harm Australian jobs saying he wanted to "seize the opportunity that is there from acting on climate change".

The new targets would give business the certainty it needed to "invest over a longer time frame than the political cycle of three years," he said.

But he has so far refused to set a deadline for phasing out coal, in line with other rich countries.

Even before the announcement, Australia's fossil fuel industry was in flux with many major companies seeking to decarbonize their operations.

On Wednesday, global miner BHP announced it had been unable to find a buyer for its coal mines in the Australian state of New South Wales and would instead close the project by 2030.

The news came just a day after fossil fuel giant BP announced it would take out a 40.5 per cent stake in a renewables project in Australia, billed as the largest power station on earth.

Anja-Isabel Dotzenrath, BP's executive vice president of gas and low carbon energy, said the company believed that "Australia has the potential to be a powerhouse in the global energy transition".



Russia Warns US Not to Help Israel Militarily Against Iran 

Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov attends the BRICS Meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, April 28, 2025. (Reuters) 
Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov attends the BRICS Meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, April 28, 2025. (Reuters) 
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Russia Warns US Not to Help Israel Militarily Against Iran 

Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov attends the BRICS Meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, April 28, 2025. (Reuters) 
Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov attends the BRICS Meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, April 28, 2025. (Reuters) 

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov warned on Wednesday that direct US military assistance to Israel could radically destabilize the situation in the Middle East, where an air war between Iran and Israel has raged for six days.

In separate comments, the head of Russia's SVR foreign intelligence service, Sergei Naryshkin, was quoted as saying that the situation between Iran and Israel was now critical.

Ryabkov warned the US against direct military assistance to Israel or even considering such "speculative options," according to Russia's Interfax news agency.

"This would be a step that would radically destabilize the entire situation," it cited him as saying.

Earlier, a source familiar with US internal discussions said President Donald Trump and his team were considering a number of options, including joining Israel in strikes against Iranian nuclear sites.

On Tuesday, Trump openly mused on social media about killing Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, but said: "We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now."

Israel launched air strikes last Friday against Iran's nuclear sites, scientists and top military leaders in a surprise attack that Russia condemned as unprovoked and illegal. Iran has responded with missile and drone attacks on Israeli cities.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who in January signed a strategic partnership treaty with Iran, has called for a cessation of hostilities between the two sides.