Woodside gas project to emit as much pollution as every car and motorbike on Australian roads: Climate Council
IF WOODSIDE'S new climate-wrecking gas project goes ahead it will produce the same CO₂ emissions each year as every car and motorbike on the road in Australia.
A Climate Council analysis of emissions from the proposed Scarborough gas project, projected at 56 million tonnes CO₂ per year, has found this is equivalent to:
- annual emissions from every personal vehicle in the country (50.4 Mt CO₂).
- the CO₂ emissions of Australia's entire manufacturing sector (53.8 Mt CO₂)
Over the project's 30-year lifetime, it is expected to produce 1.6 billion tonnes* of CO₂, which is equivalent to 4.5 per cent of the world's annual emissions.
Climate Council senior researcher Tim Baxter said if this development is allowed to proceed, it will single-handedly reverse the reduction on global emissions that resulted from COVID-19.
"We saw a big drop in emissions last year because of COVID-19, but that will be completely cancelled out by Woodside's climate-wrecking colossus," Mr Baxter said.
"The science is clear there can be no new coal, oil or gas projects - anywhere - if we are to avoid catastrophic climate change, and we need to phase out fossil fuels as quickly as possible not keep adding to the problem," Baxter said.
"Australians are already being harmed by worsening climate impacts. Expanding production of fossil fuels - especially through mega-projects like Woodside's irresponsible Scarborough project - will put more Australian lives and livelihoods at risk."
Australia - along with 196 other countries - signed up to the Glasgow Pact at the COP26 Conference earlier this month, which includes a commitment to move away from fossil fuels.
* Estimation from the Conservation Council of WA &The Australia Institute, confirmed by Woodside CEO in ABC Perth radio interview morning of 22 November 2021.
