Contrary to industry claims, new gas production and infrastructure is not needed in the transition to renewable energy, as outlined in a new report by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis. As it points out, over the coming years, the Australian Energy Market Operator expects renewable energy will continue to displace coal, scaling to meet electricity demand, firmed up mainly by battery storage and pumped hydro.
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By ploughing ahead with opening new coal and gas fields, Australia is heading in a direction the climate can’t afford.
Earlier this year I was shocked to find out my super fund UniSuper was the biggest investor in Australia’s largest gas infrastructure and pipeline company APA. This company plans to enable fracking of the Beetaloo Basin in the Northern Territory. Together with 1045 scientists, leading academics and the clean energy finance advocacy organisation Market Forces, we called on UniSuper and APA to end their backing of gas fracking in the Beetaloo Basin. Following our call, UniSuper sold 100 per cent of its shares in APA. It’s a start, but there are dangers ahead.
The scale of climate pollution threatened by fracking Beetaloo is mindboggling. According to Climate Analytics, the emissions from just one of the Beetaloo gas mining companies, Tamboran, could reach up to 2.3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide over 25 years. This is the equivalent of running the massive coal-fired power station at Eraring in NSW for 194 years.
There are sound scientific reasons why mining gas and particularly fracking is terrible for human health and the climate.
Let’s be clear. Gas is not clean. Not only does gas warm the planet, it contributes to ground-level ozone and other contaminants, resulting in more severe asthma in children, higher risk of birth defects and leukaemia, more hospitalisations and deaths due to heart attacks, respiratory diseases and some cancers as outlined in Sydney University research.
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The impacts of fracking on health and the environment have led to bans on the process in Victoria, Tasmania, most of Western Australia and countries across Europe including France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom.
Governments must not allow fracking in Australia when renewable energy options backed by battery storage and investment in transmission are available at scale now. The costs of steaming ahead with more gas and coal are too great.
On the current trajectory, unless we rein in rampant attempts by companies to mine more coal, gas and oil, we are facing average global temperature increases of at least 2.1 to 3.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels this century, and 3.3 to 5.7 degrees in the worst-case scenario.
A 2- to 3-degree temperature increase would mean severe climate-related disasters, global food shortages and some summers so hot that stepping outside could be lethal. More than 3 degrees and we would also face extreme droughts and famine for billions of people, global chaos and the prospect of climate change spiralling out of control.
We simply cannot wait to ditch our addiction to fossil fuels. The lucky country needs to fix its act, embrace clean and renewable energy wholeheartedly and get off gas and coal for good.
Lesley Hughes is professor emerita at Macquarie University and councillor with the Climate Council of Australia.