Australian climate scientists lash colleagues' 'dangerous' report

Two scientists from Australia's Climate Change Authority have accused their colleagues of publishing an "untrue and dangerous" report.

Climate scientists David Karoly and Clive Hamilton have taken issue with a report the Authority released on Wednesday, which used the federal government's 2030 emissions reduction target as its basis.

The pair released their own minority report today, arguing the majority report's impression that Australia has plenty of time to bring emissions down is "untrue and dangerous".

Environment Minister Josh Frydenberg defended the authority's report despite the two dissenters.

"The vast majority of those board members have signed onto that report that was submitted to the government," he told ABC radio.

But Prof. Hamilton insists Australia is "manifestly not pulling its weight".

He said his dissenting report was based firmly on the science of climate change and it was not the role of the authority to write reports that suit parliament.

"That's not our role, we're supposed to be independent," he told ABC radio.

"If we're going to adhere to our international commitment ... we have to take much stronger actions than the government is committed to."