2023-07-11
As Australia joins the G7’s climate club, it must demonstrate commitment to climate action by stopping opening up new coal and gas, the Greens have said.
While Labor is saying it is committed to climate action its track record shows otherwise, and Mr Bandt says that Australia is greenwashing its record overseas while making the problem worse at home.
The Albanese government has approved three coal projects in the past 2 months, despite climate scientists saying that the world must open no new fossil fuel projects if we’re to meet our Paris Agreement targets.
They are pushing towards fracking the Beetaloo Basin, just one of several gas mega projects in their final stages, even as energy advisors say we have enough existing gas to meet our needs.
The Labor government has in under 2 months approved three coal projects: the Isaac River Coal Mine on the 11th May, the Star Coal Mine on the 23rd June, and the Ensham Coal Mine on the 3rd July.
Through the Safeguard Mechanism negotiation’s implementation of a hard cap on emissions, the Greens were able to stop around half of the coal and gas projects in the pipeline. Mr Bandt said the government must stop opening any others.
Lines attributable to Greens Leader Adam Bandt MP:
“If Labor wants to be taken seriously in the G7 ‘Climate Club’, Labor must stop opening up new coal and gas,” Mr Bandt said.
“Overseas, Anthony Albanese tells other global leaders that Australia is now taking climate action seriously, while Labor opens new coal and gas back home. This is the same greenwashing and climate denial that saw the Liberals booted out at the last election and a record number of Greens and independents elected.
“The Prime Minister is currently in Germany - a nation that shut down its coal industry without a single mine worker losing their job - while telling Australian fossil fuel workers that they’ll be digging it out of the ground for decades to come.
“Every new coal and gas project that Labor approves puts Australia’s agriculture and environment at risk. We’re already seeing communities destroyed by floods and bushfires, and the environment is on the brink.
“Joining clubs and pledges is not a substitute for doing the one thing that climate scientists are begging us to do: stop opening new coal and gas mines. Labor is saying the right thing overseas while opening new coal and gas mines at home."