Australia’s National Party Abandons Net Zero Climate Target

Australia’s National Party has unanimously voted to abandon its commitment to achieving net zero emissions, creating a significant rift within the country’s conservative coalition and putting additional pressure on Liberal Party leader Sussan Ley as she navigates her party’s climate policy stance.

Following a party room meeting on Sunday, National Party leader David Littleproud announced the decision to replace binding emissions targets with what he described as “aspirations.” The new approach would align Australia’s emissions reduction efforts with other developed nations in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), though specific details about how this alignment would work remain unclear.

Littleproud, who expressed pride in the unanimous decision, reportedly informed Liberal leader Sussan Ley of the policy shift several days before the formal announcement. This move comes at a particularly challenging time for the Liberal Party, which is still working to finalize its own energy and climate platform ahead of upcoming political battles.

The National Party’s retreat from net zero commitments represents a significant step backward in Australia’s climate policy landscape. As the junior partner in the conservative coalition, the Nationals’ decision could complicate efforts to present a unified climate strategy and may influence the Liberal Party’s own policy deliberations. The shift from concrete targets to vague “aspirations” signals a weakening of Australia’s climate commitments at a time when many nations are strengthening their emissions reduction pledges to address the growing urgency of climate change.