Published September 27,2021
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Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said he isn't sure if he will attend the COP26 global climate change conference in Glasgow.
"I mean it is another trip overseas and I've been on several this year and spent a lot of time in quarantine," he told the West Australian newspaper.
"I have to focus on things here and with Covid. Australia will be opening up around that time, there will be a lot of issues to manage and I have to manage those competing demands."
The 12-day conference in November is billed as the most important meeting on the topic since the Paris climate summit in 2015.
Leaders from all over the world plan to attend, including US President Joe Biden. It was not clear whom Australia might send to the conference instead of Morrison.
Australia is among the countries with the highest global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions per capita and is one the biggest coal exporters in the world.
The Canberra government has so far refused to commit to a net-zero emissions target by 2050.
A recent UN report said warming of 2.7 degrees by 2100 is currently foreseeable - but the Paris climate agreement envisages limiting the rise to 1.5 degrees if possible.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has said climate protection efforts must be doubled to reach this goal.
Morrison is a coal industry supporter. Australia has sent signals that it wants to stick to fossil fuels in the coming years.
At the same time, the country has suffered drought, heatwaves, floods and coral bleaching in recent years. Devastating bushfires in 2019-2020 destroyed more than 12 million hectares of land.
Kaynak: DPA
