Anthony Albanese, Australia’s Environment Advocate

In May, Anthony Albanese’s center-left Labor Party defeated the conservative coalition that had led Australia since 2013. Climate change—as well as wage growth and reconciliation with Indigenous Australians—was a major issue in the campaign, stoked by the country’s wildfires, floods  and other natural calamities, which scientists say are getting worse with rising temperatures. As prime minister, Albanese wants to transform the economy, at present heavily dependent on exports of coal and gas, by scaling up the mining of minerals such as lithium—vital for batteries—and turning the country into a hub of green manufacturing. His new emissions target puts Australia roughly into line with plans from Canada and Japan, though it’s still much less ambitious than the climate goals of the UK and the EU.

Turning around a carbon-intensive economy will be a serious challenge for Albanese. He’ll be up against many of Australia’s largest companies that depend on fossil fuels. The country’s federal system gives substantial power to state governments that are moving at their own speed on scaling back use of the fuels. At the same time, some freshly elected lawmakers are demanding even tougher action, calling for an immediate halt to new coal and gas projects. With only a razor-thin parliamentary majority, Albanese’s government is vulnerable to any misstep.