Australia should aim for net zero by 2040, new Climate Change Authority member says

Exclusive: Prof Lesley Hughes, a climate specialist appointed this week, says current target is not good enough

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A new scientific member of the government's revamped Climate Change Authority has said Australia should be aiming to reach net zero at least a decade earlier than 2050.

Prof Lesley Hughes, a biologist and climate change specialist, said Australia's current climate target for 2030 was not good enough" but said the new government was showing a willingness to listen to the science.

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