Australia is blocking an international deal that could prevent scores of new coal power stations being built in Asia.

Next week, Finance Ministers will meet in Paris to agree a new deal to prevent wealthy OECD countries from financing highly polluting coal power plants. Coal plants are the dirtiest form of electricity on the planet, spewing out billions of tonnes of greenhouse pollution per year.

If the deal is agreed, it could pave the way for countries to develop clean, renewable energy instead of old polluting coal plants.

The deal needs to be agreed by all 34 members of the OECD group of rich nations to succeed but Australia is threatening to block the deal, scuppering this great chance to secure strong climate action from wealthy countries. 

Prime Minister Turnbull has said that we need to avoid being ideological in the battle to solve climate change. This is a chance to show he is shaking off Tony Abbott’s anti-climate change ideology. With the Paris climate change talks just around the corner, Prime Minister Turnbull should support strong, shared action to combat climate change by getting behind this deal.

.