The NSW New England MP revealed the Institute of Public Affairs will release a report showing regional areas, like his electorate, will "pay the price" of meeting a carbon target.

He said he planned to stand up for rural people by taking a position against moves by Prime Minister Scott Morrison to join most of the rest of the world in making the carbon emission commitment.

"As you know I've crossed the floor a number of times ... for the right issue," Mr Joyce said.

"It's the last resort when you can't get the best deal for people you represent. I don't know it's a cure. I'd much rather fix things up so you don't have to cross the floor, that's always my preference.

"But if you say I'm never prepared to do it, people go bang I've got your number you're not prepared to do it, it doesn't matter what you say because you won't actually back your words up with where you walk.

Asked if he would back his words up, he said "of course I will - absolutely - without a shadow of a doubt."

As a Senator for Queensland, Mr Joyce voted against his own party's legislation - 'crossed the floor' - 28 times. He has never crossed the floor as a lower house MP.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has not yet committed to reducing carbon emissions to meet a net zero target by 2050, but has been widely perceived to be making rhetorical moves towards that goal in recent weeks.

"Our goal is to reach net-zero emissions as soon as possible, and preferably by 2050," Mr Morrison said last week.

Mr Joyce said that was "like the person going door-to-door selling you Amway" without a clear path to get there.

"This is precisely what we said to the Labor party at the last election," he said.

"[We said] sit us down Tony [Burke] and show us how you're going to do it. Or show the Australian people how you're going to do it.

"And when they couldn't they were signing their own cheque."

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Committing to a carbon reduction target would mean "tens of thousands of dollars" of new "regulations" which would hit rural people hardest, he said.

"That's tens of thousands of dollars that doesn't go into the hairdresser on Peel Street or the tire shop in Gunnedah or the machinery dealership in Glen Innes," Mr Joyce said.

"We in regional areas are the ones with the most recent memory of how they've done this to us before. With the signing of the Kyoto Protocols and the Kyoto targets and the Paris agreement, it was regional Australia that paid the bill.

"We don't want to have a repeat of this. That's why we're absolutely focused on not signing ourselves up to anything until we see the full details."

When Mr Joyce was Deputy Prime Minister the government signed up to the Paris agreement in 2015.

Politicians who vote against their party line can face being kicked out of it, a process that is automatic in the Labor party but not the National or Liberal parties.

Senator Matt Canavan, Mr Joyce's former chief of staff, yesterday threatened to cross the floor over the same issue.

It's not clear such a target would need necessarily to be legislated, and no legislation has yet been proposed.