Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott Speaks During The Launch Of A Student Mobility Program
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott speaks during the launch of a student mobility program at a university in Mumbai September 4, 2014. Reuters

Former Australian government adviser and Professor Ross Garnaut has described Australia as "a drag" on global efforts to address climate change. According to a BBC report, Garnaut said the country had failed in doing its part in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has earlier said that coal is fundamental in providing the world's energy needs. Previous reports have indicated Australia as the world's highest carbon emissions per capita. It is also the second-biggest coal exporter in the world.

Garnaut, a leading economist who teaches at Australian National University, said the progress made by the government will be undone by emissions of companies not covered in the Direct Action policy. Mr Abbott's climate policy includes AU$2.5 billion fund that will be given to the country's biggest polluters to help them reduce emissions and use clean energy.

The professor told ABC that he found the situation a "bit sad" since Australia is no longer doing its fair share in the international effort against climate change. Garnaut was appointed by the previous Labour government to study the impact of climate change on the country's economy. He reacted to the statement of Mr Abbott who said coal will always be the foundation of prosperity and will always be for the "forseeable future." The prime minister believes that if the world was indeed serious in helping the poor, there is a need to maximise the use of coal.

A recently released UN climate change report has warned that the continued and unrestricted use of fossil fuels should be phased out by the end of the century to avoid the irreversible effects of climate change. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has revealed most of the electricity to power the world can be taken from low-carbon sources by 2050.

A day after the UN released its latest report on climate change, Mr Abbott reiterated that coal is the foundation of the way people live. In October, the Guardian reported that the prime minister warned about the "demonisation" of fossil fuel in the opening of a coalmine in central Queensland.