With just days to go before a major UN climate conference in Scotland, Australia is one of the last holdouts among developed nations in committing to net zero emissions by 2050, and it has refused to strengthen its 2030 target or make plans for transitioning away from its deep investment in fossil fuel production
The Collinsville coal mine in Queensland, Australia, on July 5, 2017. The country is the world’s largest coal exporter.
Image: David Maurice Smith/The New York TimesAt a time when climate change and those who fight it demand that coal be treated like tobacco, as a danger everywhere it is burned, Australia is increasingly seen as the guy at the end of the bar selling cheap cigarettes and promising to bring more tomorrow.©2019 New York Times News Service