Australia’s Rebuke of Trump Is Electing a Climate-Forward Party
Labor Party’s climate credentials will be put to test very soon, says David Stringer, Bloomberg Green’s Asia managing editor, on this week’s episode of Zero
A young supporter holds a sign at the Labor Party election night event in Sydney, Australia, on Saturday, May 3, 2025.
Photographer: Brent Lewin/BloombergAustralia is in a unique place when it comes to the energy transition. It is the world’s largest exporter of coal and a leading exporter of gas, yet has set a target to have 82% renewable electricity by 2030 and hit net-zero by 2050.
Australia is also caught juggling relations between the US — its military ally — and China — its biggest trading partner — as the two superpowers compete over trade. It is an unenviable challenge for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who has just been voted back into the office with an impressive new majority and also wants Australia to host the COP31 climate summit in 2026.