Anthony Albanese’s minister shares defiant message over fears US will pull out of major Paris climate agreement and derail Australia’s clean energy move

Climate change and energy minister Chris Bowen has insisted the Australian government will remain committed to fighting climate change regardless of Donald Trump’s policies. 

The President-elect has been very vocal about what he thinks of climate change, dubbing it a ‘hoax’ and ‘one of the great scams of all time’.

He dismantled almost 100 climate policies in his first term as President in 2016 and environmentalists fear he will go even further in his second administration.

It is likely he will seek to pull the US out of the Paris climate agreement, which aims to keep the world global average temperature below 2 degrees above pre-industrial levels, for the second time.

Trump has also told supporters of his plans to ‘drill, baby, drill’ by massively ramping up the US production of oil and gas.

Mr Bowen admitted on Wednesday the Labor government ‘doesn’t know yet’ what Trump will do, but insisted it will not alter Australia’s course.        

‘The election of a new president doesn’t change some fundamentals, regardless of what approach he takes,’ Mr Bowen told ABC’s 7.30 on Wednesday night.

‘The fundamentals that the world will continue to warm and we need to act – point one. 

‘Point two, the economics of renewable energy are so strong and it is our national interest to embrace that and to expand renewable energy.

‘And point three, the United States is responsible for just a bit more than 10 per cent of the world’s emissions. Does that mean the rest of the 90 per cent of us don’t bother anymore even if the US withdraws action? 

‘No it doesn’t. That’s not our approach, it won’t be our approach and it’s not the approach of most international counterparts that I’m talking to.’

Mr Bowen’s upbeat attitude comes ahead of the COP29 climate summit due to be held in Azerbaijan this weekend. 

‘When I’m talking to international colleagues, no one is saying “let’s give up”. There are some people in each domestic debate who argue that, there are people in Australia who argue that,’ Mr Bowen told the program.

‘Even if a major power withdraws that can be a time for middle powers to step up and to continue to argue for action. That’s what I’ll be doing, that’s what Australia will be doing.’

He added that other ‘middle powers’ like Germany, Canada and the UK will be doing the same.

However, Mr Bowen refused to set a date for when the Albanese government will announce Australia’s 2035 emissions reduction target under the Paris climate agreement.

The deadline is February but Mr Bowen has repeatedly refused to be pinned down on whether he will unveil a target before the next Federal election.

Donald Trump dismantled almost 100 climate policies in his first term as President in 2016 and environmentalists fear he will go even further in his second administration

Some have pointed out that this is because the major issue likely to dominate the election is the cost-of-living crisis and the government doesn’t want to risk seeming to be more focussed on climate targets that have no discernible impact on voters’ short-term lives. 

This is exacerbated by the fact that Opposition leader Peter Dutton has declared he will not announce at 2035 target before the election and his lobbying for nuclear power – a policy favoured by Trump. 

Professor Michelle Grattan, esteemed journalist and chief political correspondent with The Conversation, argued that Mr Bowen faced threats from all sides over the 2035 target. 

‘A bold target would make the government more vulnerable, just when Labor would want the attention on the Coalition’s problematic nuclear policy,’ Prof Grattan wrote. 

‘On the other hand, if the target were modest, that would be exploited by the Greens.’