Australia's target to cut emissions to net zero by 2050 has been labelled a missed opportunity threatening to handicap government negotiators at COP26 climate talks.
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Climate policy veteran John Connor has flagged key omissions and a lack of detail in the Morrison government's mid-century emissions plan.
The Carbon Market Institute chief executive thinks the coalition missed an opportunity to build on state government and business climate commitments.
"It's important to indicate that we will achieve net zero emissions by 2050, but we still need a lot more detail on the plan," he told AAP on Tuesday.
The coalition will take to COP26 climate talks a projected 2030 emissions cut of between 30 and 35 per cent below 2005 levels.
This would overshoot Australia's 2015 Paris Agreement pledge of a 26 to 28 per cent cut, but is not a new target.
"We will be handicapping our negotiators by coming into Glasgow with nothing more than the net zero by 2050 commitment," Mr Connor said.
"These projections will be met in a rather bemused way, I think, by the international community where the currency is the nationally determined contributions that are ... Increasingly part of international trade networks."
The coalition will rely on its previously released "technology roadmap" and emissions cuts so far to get 60 per cent of the way towards a 2050 target.
Another 30 per cent will come from "global technology trends" and "further technology breakthroughs", while domestic and international offsets are slated to contribute between 10 and 20 per cent.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison indicated the modelling behind the plan would be released "eventually".
The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry wants to see it sooner.
"Businesses and industry must have access to the modelling behind the government's plan to ensure the effective implementation of transitional measures," chief executive Andrew McKellar said.
He and other business leaders welcomed the commitment to a 2050 target five days out from COP26.
"This is a chance for Australia to draw a line under the last decade of division and get on with the task of transitioning to a low emissions economy," Business Council of Australia boss Jennifer Westacott said.
Environment groups including Greenpeace and the Australian Conservation Foundation didn't think enough was being done to cut emissions by 2030.
"The cost of too little action this decade far outweighs the cost of transitioning to a low pollution economy," ACF chief executive Kelly O'Shanassy said.
Labor questioned why it took so long to get the majority of Nationals over the line for a plan if it was based on existing policies.
Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese wouldn't say if his party would adopt the coalition's undated 2030 emissions projections as a target.
"What we've said very clearly is that we would await Glasgow and what comes out of Glasgow before we finalise all of our policies when it comes to climate change," Mr Albanese said.
Australian Associated Press
