Mr Joyce, on Saturday, published a video on social media as thick snow fell on the town of Bendemeer. “A day like today, I don’t know which one is more ridiculous: [UN Secretary-General] Antonio Guterres talking about global boiling, or [Tim Flannery] – the river’s in flood – saying, it’s not gonna rain anymore,” he said in a video on his Facebook page. “What’s sad about this really is there’s people in this little village I’m in, Bendemeer, who can’t afford to keep warm because we’ve got this lunatic policy of net zero where apparently we’re going to make it snow even more.” “We’re not doing anything, all we’re doing is being completely cruel and hurting people.” Mr Joyce introduced a private member’s bill in parliament’s opening days hoping to repeal Australia’s net zero commitment. Australia’s current pledge is to cut emissions by 43 per cent from 2005 levels by 2030. The Climate Change Authority (CCA) is reportedly weighing up whether to recommend a more aggressive target of 65 to 75 per cent by 2035. Mr Joyce’s chief gripe with the policy in recent weeks lies with what he sees as an unfair burden on regional Australia. His “Repeal Net Zero” bill, backed by several Coalition rebels, proposes scrapping Australia’s carbon-neutral target by 2050, a goal in line with most other developed nations. “There’s absolutely no reason that Mascot Airport can’t work 24/7,” he previously told reporters. “But we understand that people don’t want planes flying over themselves in the middle of the night … but we don’t want transmission lines over our head either. We don’t want wind towers either, so there’s got to be a form of quid pro quo.” His argument suggests city-dwellers are demanding action on climate change without shouldering its costs, leaving regional communities to deal with some sort of flow-on infrastructure burden. “You don’t feel virtuous if you’re hurting people,” Mr Joyce said. While the bill is unlikely to pass without support from Liberal moderates, Mr Joyce’s position is influential within the Nationals and perhaps reflects a growing pushback on climate policy from prominent sections of the Coalition. Joining him outside Parliament House were fellow Nationals MP Michael McCormack and Liberal MP Garth Hamilton, the only member of the senior Coalition partner to back the bill publicly. Mr Joyce’s foray on the Bendemeer snow is in stark contrast to warnings by the UN’s top climate executive, who said fruit and vegetables may become a “once-a-year treat” if the country fails to drastically lift its clean energy ambitions. UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell said Australia faced a future of “mega-droughts”, plummeting living standards and eye-watering economic losses if it does not go much further on emissions cuts. “Mega-droughts [will make] fresh fruit and veg a once-a-year treat. In total, the country could face a $6.8 trillion GDP loss by 2050,” Mr Stiell said during an address hosted by the Smart Energy Council, per The Australian. Mr Stiell, who met with Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen in Canberra this week, said setting an ambitious target wasn’t just about the environment, but rather economic survival. “Australia has a strong economy and among the highest living standards in the world. If you want to keep them, doubling down on clean energy is an economic no-brainer,” he warned. “Living standards could drop by over $7000 per person per year. And rising seas, resource pressures, and extreme weather would destabilise Australia’s neighbourhood – from Pacific Island nations to Southeast Asia – threatening your security.” New England residents are warned this weekend of some of the biggest snowfalls across the region in 20 years. Emergency services say unusual snow levels were reported at Armidale and Guyra, where falls of up to 50cm were forecast. The SES said on Saturday snowfall in the Northern Tablelands had never been seen at these depths before, which left up to 200 vehicles stuck in heavy snowfall. Snow in Bendemeer, located at around 800m elevation, is extremely rare and is usually very light when it does occur. Mr Joyce’s Repeal Net Zero bill has not been voted on and remains before representatives.