Expert analysis suggests warming would reach 2.7 degrees compared with pre-industrial levels under pollution reduction promised so far, exceeding the 2 degree threshold beyond which catastrophic climate impacts would occur. Malcolm Turnbull faces both an opposition in exile, and an opposition in residence. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Environment Minister Greg Hunt said on Monday that Australia lobbied for the five-year stocktakes and had "laid out the capacity for review". The government expects Australia will meet its promised emissions cuts of 26 to 28 per cent by 2030 without needing to access international carbon markets. However, the government intends to review domestic policies in 2017, and this would consider the role of international units if Australia increases its pollution reduction ambitions.

West Australian Liberal senator Chris Back said on Monday the 2030 emissions cuts agreed to by the party room were appropriate and "there is no occasion for Australia to be moving beyond that". WA senator Chris Back Credit:Andrew Meares All the world's major science academies and about 97 per cent of published scientists accept climate change is caused by humans. However, Senator Back questioned if humans were to blame for climate change, and whether scientific predictions would turn out to be accurate. Nationals MP George Christensen says any deeper emission cuts would damage the Australian economy. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

"There is a very strong body of science that speaks of other causes of impacts on the climate, for example sun spots," he said. "The beauty of science [is] that you can make a prediction, observe what's happening and indeed you may have to change your views depending on what we observe … No one's got a mortgage on knowledge when it comes to science." It's just the one thing we can't countenance at this stage, or any stage really – disruption to the economy for the sake of appeasing other nations when we contribute vastly less than 2 per cent to global emissions. I mean, why would you bother? Nationals MP George Christensen Senator Back said Australia should not consider responding more boldly to the climate threat than other nations - but also suggested if the rest of the world did act, it would negate the need for Australia to take action. "The statistics are simple. We produce 1.2 per cent of the world's carbon dioxide. However Australia might move, it's absolutely infinitesimal against the other 98.8 per cent," he said.

Senator Back said he would be "very, very concerned" if a Coalition government moved to increase Australia's emissions targets. Queensland Nationals MP George Christensen said Australia's current pollution targets were "as much as we can handle" and anything deeper would damage the economy. "It's just the one thing we can't countenance at this stage, or any stage really, disruption to the economy for the sake of appeasing other nations when we contribute vastly less than 2 per cent to global emissions. I mean, why would you bother?" he said. Mr Christensen would be "very much against" deeper emissions cuts, adding Mr Turnbull assured the Nationals he would not alter the government's climate policies once he took the leadership. Climate Institute chief executive John Connor said the government's policies did not align with the global goal of keeping warming below 2 degrees.

He said there was overwhelming expert evidence that Australia could cut greenhouse gas pollution while growing the economy. Mr Connor said Mr Turnbull promised to take all major policy changes to cabinet and "he's got to manage the politics" and find a way through the internal division. Labor leader Bill Shorten on Monday said Mr Turnbull must "show some leadership, to scrap the deal he did with the extreme right of the Liberal and National Parties in order to become prime minister, and take real action on climate change". On Sunday, NSW Liberal backbencher Craig Kelly, who has been sceptical of the need for climate action, wrote on Facebook of the Paris deal: "THEY'VE DONE IT!! Hallelujah. The world is saved ... The polar bears can sleep soundly tonight." Follow us on Twitter



