JUST TWO weeks after Australia agreed to the COP26 Glasgow Climate Pact to move away from fossil fuels, the Federal Government has released a plan to drastically scale up polluting gas projects nation-wide.
Climate Council Head of Research Dr Simon Bradshaw said:
"What part of gas is a polluting fossil fuel does this government not understand? This plan is a disaster. The science is very clear: to avoid a climate catastrophe, fossil fuels must stay in the ground.
"Gas is – and will forever remain – dirty, expensive, inefficient and harmful to our health. The only thing that opening new basins will do is magnify the harm to Australian lives and livelihoods.
"At a time when the world is turning away from fossil fuels and embracing renewables, Australia could be a renewables superpower, but instead continues to live in a polluting past. This plan essentially lights a match to the global climate pact Australia signed up to in Glasgow just two weeks ago.
"Doubling down on gas will serve only to further diminish our already battered international reputation, impoverish future Australians, and expose communities to ever more dangerous and heartbreaking impacts from climate change."
Climate Councillor Greg Bourne added:
"It is abundantly clear that the Morrison government's net zero by 2050 commitment was designed to mislead and always included expansion of gas.
"The International Energy Agency has made it very clear that there can be no new coal, oil and gas fields if we are to limit temperature increases to below the critical threshold of 1.5 degrees."
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