Less than 24 hours after Donald Trump — a man who once said global warming was a Chinese hoax — was elected to be US president, Australia has ratified the global Paris climate agreement.
The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive.
An independent climate think tank praised Turnbull's announcement so soon after the election of US president-elect Donald Trump, who has repeatedly rubbished international agreements on climate change.
“It’s very important giving recent events in the United States," Deputy CEO of the Climate Institute Erwin Jackson told BuzzFeed News.
"It gives a clear signal that Australia remains committed to international climate agreements."
Turnbull's announcement was also praised by environmentalist group Greenpeace, who said it must now see Australia "U-turn" on key energy policies.
“While ratifying the Paris climate agreement is an important step in securing a healthy future for our planet, Australia now has to make a huge climate U-turn and introduce ambitious climate policies to live up to the promise it has made to the rest of the world," said Greenpeace's Shani Tager.
Environmentalists have been sceptical on Turnbull government's climate record in recent years due to its support for fossil fuel power generation, including the approval of the $22 billion Adani coal mine in Queensland, which would be the largest ever in Australia.
The chair of the government's backbench energy and environment committee Craig Kelly, who is also a Trump supporter, posted an article with the comment "Paris is cactus".
