Australia vows to cut emissions by 62 to 70% by 2035

Australia pledged Thursday to slash greenhouse gas emissions by 62 to 70 percent from 2005 levels over the next decade, after warnings that homes and livelihoods are under threat.

Australia's goals are above those of Canada and neighbouring New Zealand, but below the United Kingdom which is one of the most ambitious in the world. Australia's pledge follows the release this week of a national climate risk assessment that found rising temperatures will have "cascading, compounding, concurrent" impacts on life in Australia, home to more than 27 million people.