Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said he will not abandon the responsibility of fighting the climate crisis, despite the government approving the Jackdaw gasfield. He pledged to block new North Sea licences and keep Britain on track for net zero by 2050. Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh said she alone will decide whether to approve the Rosebank oilfield, a decision sources say she is minded to block. Fahnbulleh also said she was sad about the breakdown of cross-party consensus on climate action. Burnham also announced that military aircraft would fight wildfires for the first time.
Energy secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh has approved drilling at the Jackdaw gasfield in the North Sea. In a statement, the government said it remains committed to net zero by 2050 and announced a wealth fund that will invest North Sea tax revenues in low-carbon projects. Campaigners had challenged an earlier consent in court, and the companies resubmitted applications with new climate information. The nearby Rosebank oilfield decision has not yet been made. Critics say Jackdaw will supply only a small share of UK gas over its lifespan.
Research suggests extreme El Niño years will become more common as the world warms, driven by greenhouse gas emissions. Scientists say the tropical Pacific could remain in an El Niño-like state for centuries, even after net zero is reached. Models show the longer the delay in reaching net zero, the more extreme El Niños are likely to occur. The findings suggest a slower route to net zero could bring more risks and higher costs for future generations.
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Kemi Badenoch has made scrapping the future homes standard a central part of her bid to become prime minister, the Conservative party conference heard. Campaigners and experts warn that new homes built without solar panels, heat pumps and high-grade insulation could mean higher household bills for decades. The UK Green Building Council says the housebuilding industry has prepared for the standard and that reversing course would slow progress. The Green party has also dropped its opposition to nuclear power, while Labour has announced a publicly owned body to invest in the energy grid.
Hundreds of protesters gathered outside the Royal International Convention Centre in Brisbane on Saturday as the Conservative Political Action Conference got under way. Demonstrators carried placards and rainbow flags, banged drums and chanted against One Nation. Speakers included Pauline Hanson, who called for a royal commission into net zero policies, and Liberal leader Angus Taylor, who said signing up to net zero was a mistake. Police maintained a heavy presence in the area.
Pauline Hanson called Liberal leader Angus Taylor a smarmy management consultant and told conservative conference attendees not to trust the Coalition. Speaking at CPAC Australia in Brisbane, Hanson urged supporters to place One Nation ahead of the Liberals or Nationals on their ballot papers. Taylor had earlier admitted past Coalition governments got important things wrong, including signing up to net zero and allowing immigration to rise. He received a standing ovation from less than half the crowd and faced loud heckling during an interview with Karl Stefanovic.
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson urged voters to abandon the Coalition in a speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference in Brisbane. She blamed the Liberal Party for Australia's net zero commitments and pledged a royal commission into net zero targets if her party was elected. Hanson also said One Nation would work with the Liberals and Nationals to remove the Labor government. Opposition Leader Angus Taylor spoke at the same forum, acknowledging past Coalition mistakes and describing net zero as a commitment he opposed. Both leaders reserved their strongest criticism for the Albanese government.
