‘Benefits outweigh the costs’ of acting on climate change: Labor MP

Labor MP Matt Thistlethwaite says unless the federal government moves to adopt a target to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, Australian industry and the economy will suffer a significant loss. Prime Minister Scott Morrison flagged he would like to reach the target, however, has yet to formally commit to a plan to reduce emissions. Labors got a clear plan, a clear commitment, its this government that hasnt got the plan and doesnt know where theyre going, Mr Thistlethwaite told Sky News. I think its worth noting theres a cost to not acting ... cost to Australias economic development, we miss out on those job opportunities in new industries that the rest of the world is taking up. He pointed to a report released last week by Deloitte which showed 250,000 jobs could be created within the economy in the next decade if a net zero emissions by 2050 approach is adopted. The cost of not acting and basically doing nothing as the government is, is about 800,000 jobs are lost, Mr Thistlethwaite said. So, there is a net benefit I think for Australia in taking that approach and acting. The benefits far outweigh the cost of taking action on climate change. Read More Our Apps