Australian Opposition Party Coalition Promises To Cancel Government Commitment To Reach 2050 Net Zero Emissions

JAKARTA - Australia's main opposition party promises to cancel the country's commitment to achieving net zero emissions by 2050.

The Liberal Party on Thursday confirmed the promise would be realized if they came to power in Australia.

The centre-right political party has been involved in lengthy discussions in recent weeks over Liberal Party Chair Scott Morrison's plans for climate pledges while serving as Prime Minister of Asutralia in 2021.

On Thursday, the current chairman of the Liberal Party, Sussan Ley, said his party remains committed to "responding to climate change in an affordable, responsible and achievable way."

"We are not chasing net zeros, we are pursuing energy affordability and emission reduction," he said, quoted by AFP.

"Clean nodes will be welcome" but the target will be achieved without government intervention, Ley added.

The Liberal Party's decision comes just days after their conservative coalition partner, the National Party, chose to cancel their net zero target by 2050.

The coalition between the Liberal Party and the National Party will meet on Sunday this week to reach an agreement on the coalition's formal stance.

Australia's "climate war" a years-long domestic conflict over its emission policy has hampered progress and the country still relies on the fossil fuel economy for its growth, Ley said.

Australia's centre-left government has poured billions of dollars into solar power plants, wind turbines, and green manufacturing, and pledged to make the country a renewable energy superpower.

The government of Prime Minister (PM) Anthony Albanese has also pledged to cut greenhouse gas emissions that have caused global warming of up to 70 percent of 2005's emissions over the coming decade.