MADRID – Campaigners slammed Australia on the final day of a United Nations climate summit on Friday as its policy of using old carbon credits to count toward future emission targets emerged as a major sticking point in negotiations.
The talks aim to agree outstanding details of how to implement the 2015 Paris Agreement to avoid catastrophic global warming ahead of a crucial implementation phase next year.
Australia wants to use carbon credits assigned to developed economies under the Kyoto Protocol, a precursor climate accord, to meet its greenhouse gas targets under the Paris accord.
Britain, Germany, New Zealand and others have ruled out such an approach, saying it undermines the spirit of the Paris deal while Costa Rica, Fiji and others have criticized Australia’s stance.
On Tuesday, the 2020 Climate Change Performance Index rated Australia as one of the worst performers among 57-high emitters, with it earning 0 out of 100 possible points for its policies.(Reuters)
