Australia became the first developed country to announce a repeal of its carbon tax law, which many countries adopted in an effort to curb the effects of global warming.

The country has the 12th largest economy in the world and is one of the largest greenhouse gas emitters, topped only by Saudi Arabia, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The decision by the Senate on Thursday may have been politically motivated, since three politicians fell from power since it was introduced.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott promised to get rid of the tax in his election campaign, saying it would help reduce household electricity bills, since the country relies on coal-burning, according to the Associated Press. In reality, the tax was a political move by Abbott's predecessor and played a small part in the increase in bills.

The move brought criticism from environmentalists, stating that it was introducing an obstacle in Australia's contribution to bringing down greenhouse gas emissions -- especially since it is one of the biggest contributors.

But the Prime Minister addressed the negative comments with an indication of alternate strategies.

"We are a government which absolutely appreciates that we have only got one planet and we should pass it on to our children and grandchildren in at least as good shape as we found it," Abbott told the Sydney Morning Herald. "So we are a conservationist government and we will do what we think is the sensible thing to try to bring emissions down."

But a leader of the opposite view, Bill Shorten, told AP history will prove it was the wrong move.

"Today, Tony Abbott has made Australia the first country in the world to reverse action on climate change," Shorten told the AP. "History will judge Tony Abbott very harshly for refusing to believe in genuine action on climate change. Tony Abbott is sleepwalking Australia to an environmental and economic disaster."