The UN Stands By Decision To Ban Scott Morrison From Speaking At Climate Summit

The United Nations has stood its ground on the decision to ban Australia's Prime Minister from speaking at the global summit on climate change.

World leaders are due to dial into the summit this weekend and talk about their countries' efforts in averting climate disaster and their plans for the future.

But Scott Morrison has been left off the list of speakers because the organisers didn't think Australia's climate change policies were sufficient.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Mr Morrison was going to explain how the country was going to drop its plan to use Kyoto carryover credits to achieve its 2030 emissions reduction targets. However, now he won't get that chance.

Selwin Hart, the climate advisor to UN secretary-general António Guterres, hinted that Australia just wasn't up to scratch to present to the world.

"We will not be commenting on the participation of individual leaders," he said. "But the three co-hosts - the UN, UK and France - provided all member states with very clear guidance from the outset that speaking slots would go to countries and other actors who show the most ambition right now."

But it seems the snub hasn't affected Mr Morrison.

Speaking to reporters in Canberra, the Prime Minister said: "There are many countries that are not speaking, I mean New Zealand's not speaking either.

"Australia's policy when it comes to reducing emissions is set here in Australia - in Australia's national interest - and our responsibility is to set that in a way that is consistent with the demands and needs and views of the Australian people and the science that supports that."

Mr Hart believes the summit should hear from the most promising contributors, as they could act as an inspiration for countries who are falling behind on targets set at the 2015 Paris climate summit.

He said there will be loads of speakers who will certainly provide hope for the future.

"Many of them from the developing world who despite the challenges of the pandemic, [are] on the frontlines of the climate crisis including many countries in the Pacific - to make bold and ambitious commitments around net zero," he said.

"We have a long way to go before Glasgow and we hope that this coalition around net zero by mid-century will grow."

Topics: climate change, Australia

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie is a Trending Journalist at LADbible. His first job was as a newsreader and journalist at the award winning Sydney radio station, Macquarie Radio. He was solely responsible for the content broadcast on multiple stations across Australia when the MH17, Germanwings and AirAsia disasters unfolded. Stewart has covered the conflict in Syria for LADbible, interviewing a doctor on the front line, and has contributed to the hugely successful UOKM8 campaign.

@stewartperrie