The Aukus deal is a crime against the world’s climate future. It didn’t have to be like this

‘Let’s be real: Aukus makes the already huge task of decarbonising far, far more difficult,’ writes Jeff Sparrow. Photograph: Amanda Gray/AP

Under the terms of the government’s nuclear submarine purchase, the first Australian-built Aukus class vessels come into service in the early 2040s. What else might be happening then?

According to the IPCC, at current rates, the planet will have warmed more than 1.5C above its pre-industrial state. In fact, many scientists believe temperatures could smash the 1.5C barrier as soon as 2030 or 2035 – that is, around about when Australia receives the first of its Virginia-class nuclear subs.