Australian PM Scott Morrison may not attend COP26 as he has 'things to focus on' domestically

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has been accused of “hiding” over the country’s “embarrassing” environmental record after saying he may not attend the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow this year.

It comes just weeks after the country signed a major new security pact with the UK and US, dubbed Aukus.

In an interview with a local newspaper, The West Australian, Mr Morrison said he had "not made any final decisions" on attending.

"It's another trip overseas... and I've spent a lot of time in quarantine," he said. "I have to focus on things here and with Covid. Australia will be opening up around that time. There will be a lot of issues to manage and I have to manage those competing demands."

The United Nations Climate Change Conference, known as COP26, is considered the most significant meeting of world leaders on climate change since the ratification of the Paris Agreement in 2015.

Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese said that if Mr Morrison fails to attend the Glasgow conference is it because he is “embarrassed by Australia’s position”.

Greens Leader Adam Bandt said the Prime Minister is “in hiding”.

“While the rest of the world's pledging bold 2030 targets, Scott Morrison’s in hiding. He’s planning not to go to the Glasgow climate summit, hiding behind a 2050 delay while backing more coal and gas… This is the climate’s last chance summit and Scott Morrison is refusing to show his face,” he said.

Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne reiterated that no final decision had been made on the Prime Minister’s attendance.

“One thing we are absolutely committed to is setting out our long-term emissions reduction plan prior to the COP and that is what we are focused on as a government,” she told ABC Radio.

Mr Morrison, who once waved a lump of coal at members opposite in parliament and shouted “it won’t hurt you”, has indicated he is now committed to eventually outlining a plan on how to reach net-zero emissions, preferably within the next 30 years, using a technology-based approach.

Previously, Mr Morrison and his party have expressed a preference for carbon capture and storage as a way to reduce the nation's carbon footprint.

Orca, the world's biggest carbon-removal plant, which opened in Iceland earlier this month, will take one year of operation to negate three seconds’ worth of global carbon emissions, suggesting that using technology to mitigate carbon emissions once they’re already emitted will play a limited role in tackling climate change.

The meeting of leaders of the “Quad” - United States, Australia, India and Japan – in Washington last week agreed to work together towards net zero emissions by 2050.

However, while the UK and US governments have revised their medium-term goals in preparation for the summit in Glasgow, the Australian government has given no indication of updating its medium-term goal of reducing emissions by 26 to 28 percent of 2005 levels by 2030.