Australia targets at least 62% emissions cut in the next decade

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australia on Thursday set a new target of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by between 62% and 70% below 2005 levels by 2035.

The new target adds to Australia’s ambition of a 43% cut by the end of this decade and achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese , leader of the center-left Labor Party, will take his government’s 2035 target to the U.N. General Assembly next week.

Under the Paris climate agreement signed a decade ago, nations must increase their emissions reduction targets every five years.

“This is a responsible target backed by the science, backed by a practical plan to get there and built on proven technology,” Albanese told reporters.

“It’s the right target to protect our environment, to protect and advance our ec