Liberals formally abandon net zero target but will allow moderate MPs to call lower emissions a ‘welcome outcome’

The Liberal party will abandon a firm net zero emissions target, siding with the Nationals to end the Coalition’s commitment to the climate goal.
The Liberal shadow ministry agreed a future Coalition government would not withdraw from the Paris Agreement, which was a red-line that could have prompted the resignation of moderate Liberals such as Andrew Bragg and Maria Kovacic.
In an olive branch to moderates who wanted the target retained, MPs will also be free to argue that reaching net zero would be a “welcome outcome” in the future, two sources confirmed to Guardian Australia.

Related: Liberals poised to dump net zero target after majority reject policy in marathon five-hour meeting

The opposition leader, Sussan Ley, will formally announce the decision at a 2.15pm press conference in Parliament House after the Liberal shadow ministry met to finally resolve a position following months of bitter infighting.
The frontbench meeting followed an almost five-hour gathering of the Liberal party-room on Wednesday, in which a majority of MPs voiced support for ditching the Scott Morrison-era net zero by 2050 target.
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That was despite the party’s federal director, Andrew Hirst, telling MPs that voters equated net zero with action on climate change.
The outcome will appease conservatives and temporarily stave off the threat of a leadership challenge from either Angus Taylor or Andrew Hastie, who wanted the 2050 target dumped.
Three Liberals and three Nationals will be now tasked with thrashing out a joint Coalition position, which will be put to the joint party room on Sunday.
The Nationals’ Matt Canavan, Ross Cadell and Susan McDonald will represent the country party in the talks, while Dan Tehan, Anne Ruston and Jonathon Duniam will represent the Liberal Party.

Net zero emissions is a target that has been adopted by governments, companies and other organisations to eliminate their contribution to the climate crisis. It is sometimes called “carbon neutrality”.
The climate crisis is caused by carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases being pumped into the atmosphere, where they trap heat. They have already caused a significant increase in average global temperatures above pre-industrial levels recorded since the mid-20th century. 
Countries and others that set net zero emissions targets are pledging to stop their role in worsening this by cutting their climate pollution and balancing out whatever emissions remain by sucking an equivalent amount of CO2 out of the atmosphere.
This could happen through nature projects – tree planting, for example – or using carbon dioxide removal technology.
CO2 removal from the atmosphere is the “net” part in net zero. Scientists say some emissions will be hard to stop and will need to be offset. But they also say net zero targets will be effective only if carbon removal is limited to offset “hard to abate” emissions. Fossil use will still need to be dramatically reduced.
After signing the 2015 Paris agreement, the global community asked the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to assess what would be necessary to give the world a chance of limiting global heating to 1.5C.
The IPCC found it would require deep cuts in global CO2 emissions: to about 45% below 2010 levels by 2030, and to net zero by about 2050.
The Climate Action Tracker has found more than 145 countries have set or are considering setting net zero emissions targets. 

While a future Coalition government would not pull out of the Paris Agreement, the promise to abandon a net zero target would put Australia in breach of its obligations under the pact, which requires that countries do not backslide on their emissions reduction goals.
Speaking ahead of Ley’s announcement, the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said the Coalition was walking away from a net zero emissions target because it “fundamentally” doesn’t believe in the science of climate change.
“Have no doubt the Coalition approach would hurt Australians. It would lead to less investment, less reliability, less jobs, less economic growth. It would also damage our relationships in the region, including relationships on security,” Albanese said.

Albanese said the sight of Taylor and Hastie walking side-by-side into Wednesday’s party room meeting showed the Liberals were a “divided rabble” and a “clown show”.
Earlier on Thursday, the Liberal senator and net zero supporter, Andrew McLachlan, warned it would be “very difficult” to win back city electorates if it dumped the climate target.
Asked to respond to the view of some colleagues that abandoning the target could be a vote winner, McLachlan said: “You’re wrong.”
“If you’re going to argue that we’re going to abandon net zero, you’re going to be very alone in the community and also the business community. I think all levels of community have moved on,” he told ABC’s RN Breakfast.