Q+A – On the World Stage. All eyes turn to Glasgow as world leaders meet at the COP26 climate summit.
The Glasgow talks have been described as the "last best hope for the world to get its act together" to prevent a climate catastrophe. Prime Minister Scott Morrison is attending, but Australia faces strong criticism over its net zero climate plan. Former UN climate chief Christiana Figueres has labelled Australia’s policy “irresponsible”, but Scott Morrison insists it’s unrealistic to expect countries to follow the same path to a decarbonised net zero economy. Can politics be put aside to strike a deal that will hold the rise in the earth’s temperature to 1.5 degrees?
Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron has delivered an extraordinary attack on Scott Morrison at the G20 in Rome. In a stinging rebuke, Mr Macron accused the Prime Minister of lying about Australia’s cancellation of a $90 billion submarine contract. Are relations with one of Australia’s key allies at a new low?
And as diplomatic tensions boil over in Europe, Australians back home are finally reuniting with friends and family with the arrival of the first quarantine-free international flights into the country since March 2020. However, the new freedoms haven’t been extended to temporary visa holders, leaving many others in limbo.
