Australia is expected to announce plans to reduce its carbon emissions by at least 26% of 2005 levels by 2030.
The move could see the country trail ahead of other regions.
Australia is the world’s largest exporter of coal and iron ore and is one of the largest carbon emitters on a per capita basis due to its reliance on coal-fired power plants.
It is understood Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s cabinet agreed on a target of 26 to 28 percent in a meeting overnight.
The level itself is far below recommendations by its own Climate Change Authority.
Abbott is a strong supporter of the coal industry and last year scrapped a carbon tax and an emissions trading plan, arguing they would burden industry.
The Australian leader has also previously reduced the country’s renewable energy target and abolished the Climate Commission, a body to provide public information on the effects of global warming.
The Climate Change Authority said last month that Australia needed to reduce emissions by 40 to 60 percent by 2030, based on the level of emissions from the year 2000, if it was going to meet an international agreement to limit global warming to two degrees celsius over pre-industrial levels.
Australia is currently aiming to reduce emissions by 5 percent by 2020, based on the level of emissions in 2000.
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