Stop trying to save the planet, Matthew Canavan tells Queensland government

Federal minister attracts ridicule after he says state should ‘concentrate on saving jobs today’ instead of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050

The federal resources minister, Matthew Canavan, has attracted a slew of criticism after attacking the Queensland government for trying to “save the planet in 2050”.

On Wednesday Queensland announced it would aim to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050. The announcement was far from radical, with identical pledges already made by the Coalition-led New South Wales government, as well as Labor-led Victoria, South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory.

Instead of trying to save the planet in 2050 the QLD labor should just concentrate on saving jobs today!

instead of trying to avoid the cliff we're heading for we should just concentrate on going as fast as we possibly can

Comments like this epitomise the short-sighted political era we live in! There is #noplanetB

Matt, poppet, of the very many dumb things that we regularly hear from you, this really has been one of the dumbest.https://t.co/AJqABlYoxu

Not a big fan of intergenerational equity, are you Minister.

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You are captured by a binary mindset. Try doing both by supporting renewables that actually employ more people. Think ... don't just react'

But luckily anyone with an understanding of economics knows that's not the choice. Handful of jobs in Adani, tens of thousands on the Reef.

Dear Matthew #Adani will kill as many coal jobs as it creates, not to mention lost tourism jobs #nojobsonadeadplanet https://t.co/bnFl197uVW