Last week, the Australian federal government approved 3 Coal Mine Extensions in the Hunter Valley, NSW. With a total of 41 Coal Mines in the area, owned by 11 producers, spread over more than 450km – Why?
The Coal Mines extensions – the dirtiest form of energy CO2 emissions – are for between 30 and 40 years.
The Global Agreed Target to achieve Net-Zero / Carbon Neutrality is to phase out Coal power by 2050 – based on UN IPCC reports (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), the most authoritative international body on climate science. In 2021, IPCC reported on Australia’s trajectory.
Let’s go back to 2018, when the Guardian reported on the astonishing agrogance from the Libreral Government questioning IPCC’s validity – which appears to be echoed in today’s Labour Government decision.
“The Australian (Liberal) government has rejected the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report’s call to phase out coal power by 2050, claiming renewable energy cannot replace baseload coal power. The deputy prime minister, Michael McCormack, said Australia should “absolutely” continue to use and exploit its coal reserves, despite the IPCC’s dire warnings the world has just 12 years to avoid climate change catastrophe. … would not change policy “just because somebody might suggest that some sort of report is the way we need to follow and everything that we should do”.
THESE ARE THE KEY POINTS:
- The lifetime carbon equivalent emissions from these three projects are expected to be 1.357 billion tonnes.
- This decision will extend the operating life of these coal projects into the 2060s.
- The Australia Institute’s Coal Mine Tracker shows that these are the fifth, sixth and seventh coal mine projects to be approved in this term of government.
1.357 Billion Tons – these comparisons help illustrate the scale of such a large quantity of carbon emissions
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- Passenger Vehicles: This is roughly equivalent to the annual emissions from about 295 million passenger vehicles1. That’s more than the total number of cars in the United States!
- Coal-Fired Power Plants: It’s also comparable to the emissions from over 300 coal-fired power plants operating for a year1.
- Forest Absorption: It would take approximately 1.6 billion acres of forest to absorb that amount of CO₂ in one year1.
Coal Mine Approvals Undermine Climate Goals, Government Rhetoric
The approval of three new coal mines in the Hunter Valley, during a rapidly escalating climate crisis, is shocking given the federal government’s stated commitment to climate action, the Australia Institute has said.
Rod Campbell, Research Director at the Australia Institute:
“The fact that these new coal mines can be approved, despite the government’s Safeguard Mechanism being in place, shows just how inadequate the policy is. The Safeguard Mechanism applies to industrial facilities emitting more than 100,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2-e) per year.”
“These approvals are inconsistent with Australia’s climate goals and reinforces our country’s reputation as one of the world’s major fossil fuel exporters.”
“These are some of the dirtiest, most polluting coal projects seeking approval in Australia right now.
“Fossil fuel projects like these are driving climate change. The government should level with the people of Australia and declare when their final fossil fuel project approval will be given.
The approval of huge new coal mines while bidding to host the world’s major climate conference, COP31, is a slap in the face to our Pacific neighbours who have clearly and repeatedly requested that Australia stop expanding fossil fuel production.
Decision to keep the ageing plant operating for up to four more years could cost taxpayers as much as $150m a year; “They will be using taxpayer funds to crowd out private capital” that would otherwise be investing in renewable energy, said Tim Buckley, head of Clean Energy Finance, who has compiled reports on how NSW can retain a reliable power system without Eraring.
“The Minns government has committed to cut NSW’s emissions by 50% by 2030 and 70% by 2035,” said Annika Reynolds, the Australian Conservation Foundation’s national climate policy adviser.
What happened to the Australia Safeguard Mechanism which applies to industrial facilities emitting more than 100,000 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2-e) per year.
The Safeguard Mechanism requires Australia’s highest greenhouse gas emitting facilities to reduce their emissions in line with Australia’s emission reduction targets of 43% below 2005 levels by 2030 and net zero by 2050. If a safeguard facility exceeds their baseline, they must manage any excess emissions.8 July 2024.
To be continued …..
