Pressure from Joe Biden's new green-leaning U.S. administration and Australian states could see Canberra set a goal to become carbon neutral by 2050, climate experts said, urging stronger policies to phase out fossil fuels and push sustainable farming.
Australia's reliance on coal-fired power makes it one of the world's largest carbon emitters per capita. Green groups have long lobbied the federal government to wean itself off fossil fuels, especially after devastating bush fires last year.
Suzanne Harter, a climate campaigner at the Australian Conservation Foundation, said the likelihood of a carbon-neutral aim being set ahead of the U.N. climate summit in November will increase as pressure builds for more ambitious climate action.