The head of Australia’s national council of churches has called for the Federal Government to increase its commitments to lower carbon emissions ahead of the COP26 meeting in Glasgow in November.
In a letter to Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Bishop Philip Huggins, president of the National Council of Churches in Australia, urged the government to join with the “many nations already committing to net zero emissions by 2050” and to “make vivid our commitment to real zero emissions asap”.
The bishop wrote that “UNCOP 26 may be our last chance to save our planet”.
“It cannot fail if we are to prevent catastrophe. We must finalise the Paris Agreement in full. This requires nations to scale up the ambition of their contribution. ‘Nationally Determined Contributions’ (NDCs) must lift if we are to create a sustainable future.”
He wrote that by announcing such a move, Australia could also “inspire others to be more ambitious” and said the leadership of US President Joe Biden in regard to climate change was “already proving inspirational”.
“By returning the US to the Paris Agreement and making his Summit commitments, he has restored some hope,” Bishop Huggins wrote.
