WWF has claimed that Australia currently permits the use of “71 highly hazardous substances and thousands of pesticides banned in the UK” and has “the highest rate of deforestation in the OECD”. Moreover, Morrison declined to sign the G7 final communique from this year’s summit.īut several green groups have questioned the claims on cleantech and continue to ask why the UK has not pushed Australia for stronger environmental and animal welfare standards in agri-food sectors. “This free trade agreement will make it easier for UK and Australian companies to export green technologies and expertise, speeding up the transition of both countries to our net-zero goals,” said RenewableUK’s chief executive Dan McGrail.Īustralia has notably agreed to a 2050 net-zero target since June, but questions loom about its credibility, as Morrison is leaning towards emerging technologies and shying away from dramatically cutting fossil fuels. It has also emphasised that the deal is forecast to unlock £10.4bn of additional trade, in and of itself.įollowing criticism from green groups back in June, the Government is also badging the new trade deal a boost for the international trade of renewable energy technologies such as wind turbines and hydrogen electrolysers. The Government has touted the deal as a “gateway” to future trade with the Indo-Pacific region and a boost for the UK’s hopes of joining the CPTPP free trade pact between Australia, New Zealand, Brunei, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Japan, Canada, Mexico, Peru and Chile. It will still need to be scrutinised in Parliament in the New Year 2022. International Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan held a virtual meeting with Australian representatives late on Thursday (16 December), after the basic principles of the deal were agreed upon by Boris Johnson and Scott Morrison in London in June. The text makes no explicit mentions of climate or nature
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