Climate and energy in the United States and Australia: Politics, policies and implications for the alliance

President Biden’s recent Leaders Summit on Climate returned the United States to the centre of global climate change action. On the road to the Glasgow climate conference later this year, the United States is ramping up its efforts urging world leaders to adopt more ambitious emissions reductions targets. With Australia’s climate policies labelled “insufficient” by a Biden administration official, how will the US government’s ambitions on climate change impact the future of the US-Australian relationship? How do attitudes towards climate change policy differ between Americans and Australians? What do differing positions on climate action mean for other areas of the US-Australian relationship? What quick wins can the United States and Australia achieve on climate change? The United States Studies Centre hosted a conversation featuring University of Queensland Chair in Sustainable Energy Futures and Director at Andrew N. Liveris Academy for Innovation and Leadership Professor Peta Ashworth, POLITICO Global Translations Editor Ryan Heath and USSC CEO Professor Simon Jackman in which they discussed the implications for Australia under the pressure of an ever-climate conscientious United States, and the global climate challenges ahead of us.