The coalition successfully made cost the dominant issue in the climate change debate. One economic model estimated that the 45 percent reduction in carbon emissions proposed by the opposition Labor Party would cost the economy 167,000 jobs and 264 billion Australian dollars, or $181 billion. Though a Labor spokesman called the model “dodgy,” Mr. Morrison and his allies used it to argue against extending Australia’s existing efforts to reduce emissions and invest in clean energy. The message resonated strongly in Queensland, where the proposed Carmichael coal mine would be among the largest in the world if it is approved. “It’s clear that in what might be described as ‘working seats,’ we are doing so much better,” he said in his concession speech.

Source: New York Times May 19, 2019 05:47 UTC