Latest news with #GavanMcFadzean
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Officials under fire for approving 'unfathomable' offshore project set to cost billions: 'It should never have been given the green light'
Australia's National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority has greenlit oil and gas company Santos' Barossa offshore gas field — a decision environmental experts have denounced as the world grapples with the effects of rising global temperatures. In April, the Guardian reported that Australia gave Santos' environmental plan for the Barossa offshore gas field its seal of approval, even though the project is projected to add nearly 300 million tons of heat-trapping carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The move, which came amid Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's reelection campaign, outraged environmental advocates, who said the Labor government wasn't doing enough to protect Australians from the dangerous effects of global overheating. "This is Australia's dirtiest gas project, and it should never have been given the green light," said Gavan McFadzean, a program manager at the Australian Conservation Foundation. "Barossa is a massive climate bomb that will produce more climate pollution than usable gas." "It is unfathomable that it has been approved in 2025, when the climate science is clear that we can have no new fossil fuel projects if we are to avoid dangerous global heating," added Environment Centre NT executive director Kirsty Howey. While carbon dioxide can enter Earth's atmosphere through natural processes — for instance, the breakdown of organic matter — and plays a life-supporting role in regulating temperatures, human activities have boosted atmospheric levels of this heat-trapping gas by 50% since the start of the industrial revolution in the 18th century, according to NASA. The dirty energy industry is the primary culprit. Now, the planet's temperatures are rising at an "unprecedented" rate. With the Earth's warmer atmosphere holding more moisture, extreme weather events are growing more intense and frequent, resulting in hundreds of billions of dollars of damage, displacing families, and destroying food crops. While funding oil and gas projects may provide a short-term boost, experts warn that the long-term economic impact could be dire. In December, data from the Network for Greening the Financial System suggested that Australia could experience a 14% annual drop in its gross domestic product because of the effects of a warming climate, according to the Investor Group on Climate Change. The report estimates some of its trading partners could take an even greater hit to their GDP as a result. Do you think gas stoves should be banned nationwide? No way Let each state decide I'm not sure Definitely Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. In January, Tanya Plibersek, Australia's Minister for the Environment and Water, said in a press release that the Labor party has been working to transform Australia into a "renewable energy superpower," hooking up a record amount of clean power in 2024. "I've now approved 70 renewable energy projects — enough to power more than 8 million Australian homes," Plibersek said, underscoring that the transition could help drive down household utility bills. As for the Barossa project, a Labor campaign spokesperson told the Guardian that the Albanese government, which won reelection in the May election, would remain committed to driving down energy prices and pollution while updating Australia's energy system. "The Barossa Gas Project is subject to the Albanese Government's strengthened safeguard mechanism, which requires major emitters to reduce or offset their emissions over time, in line with net zero by 2050 targets," the spokesperson said. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
The Guardian
01-05-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Labor and Coalition accused of being on fossil fuel ‘unity ticket' as thermal coal exports hit record high
Labor and the Coalition have been accused of going to the election on a 'unity ticket' ignoring Australia's main contribution to the climate crisis after a report revealed thermal coal exports reached record levels in the final quarter last year. Government data shows the country shipped a record amount – 57m tonnes – of coal for burning in overseas power plants between October and December. It is the highest recorded for a three-month period. Australia is the world's second largest exporter of thermal coal, behind Indonesia. It exported 209m tonnes during 2024, the second highest amount for a calendar year. The data from the Department of Industry, Science and Resources was released during an election campaign in which the major parties have debated the future mix of the electricity grid, but which has been largely not focused on the impact of the climate crisis. Labor has announced one new climate policy – a subsidy for household batteries. The Coalition has not released plans to cut emissions over the next decade, and has pledged to unwind or scrap several Labor policies introduced to cut climate pollution. Neither has discussed Australia's fossil fuel exports. The head of research at the fossil fuels campaign group Lock the Gate Alliance, Georgina Woods, said global heating caused by burning fossil fuels was 'already affecting Australian businesses, community wellbeing, household bills and national security' and damaging 'our extraordinary natural heritage'. 'It is really alarming that the country's political leaders don't seem to understand this threat and what it will take to protect us from escalating harm. They seem content to let the coalmining companies have their head,' she said. 'Political leaders need to get tough and get real for the good of the country, and make it clear to the industry that the national interest comes first.' Gavan McFadzean, from the Australian Conservation Foundation, said the country's thermal coal exports were an 'appalling contribution' to the climate crisis and a 'major handbrake' on global efforts to cut emissions. He said the major parties were running on a 'unity ticket' of trying to get the Australian public thinking 'there's nothing to see here'. The foundation estimated that last year the coal exports would have led to 483m tonnes of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere after being burned overseas – more than the total CO2 released within Australia, which was about 435m tonnes. Both major parties have argued that there remained a global market for fossil fuels and if Australia reduced its sales they would just be replaced by coal and gas from other countries in a way that would lead to no overall gain but would hurt parts of the local economy. The climate change minister, Chris Bowen, last year told Guardian Australia Labor agreed with people who said the biggest impact Australia could have on the climate was to reduce demand for exports, and that was why the government had backed policies that aimed to make the country a 'renewable energy superpower'. Asked about the most recent thermal coal data, a Labor spokesperson focused on what it was doing 'in our national interest to take advantage of the global energy transition'. They said international spending on clean energy was now double what was spent on fossil fuels. '[We're] capitalising on our abundant solar and wind and critical minerals to produce and export what's needed in clean energy supply chains around the world as our partners decarbonise,' they said. 'We've allocated more than $8bn to scale Australia's green hydrogen industry and [are] working with regional partners to accelerate their own journeys to net zero.' Sign up for the Afternoon Update: Election 2025 email newsletter The Coalition did not respond to a question about its position on coal exports. Sign up to Afternoon Update: Election 2025 Our Australian afternoon update breaks down the key election campaign stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion The Greens leader, Adam Bandt, said Australia had been the world's second biggest exporter of climate pollution, based on the emissions from the fossil fuels it ships, under Labor. 'Australia is being hit with fires and floods, yet Labor has approved over 30 new coal and gas projects and Peter Dutton wants even more,' he said. He said the Greens would demand in the next parliamentary term that the climate change minister use powers introduced in 2023 – as part of a revamp of a policy known as the safeguard mechanism – to stop the approval of new coal and gas extraction 'with the stroke of a pen'. The International Energy Agency has forecast that if governments meet pledges to cut emissions the global thermal coal trade should fall by 27% between 2025 and 2030. But the government report, including the latest export data, suggests Australian officials believe that the country's thermal coal sales could fall to only 200m tonnes – a 4% drop – by the end of the decade. Woods said the Australia coal industry continued to plan for mine expansions instead of preparing 'in an orderly manner for change', and that local communities would carry the cost 'when coalmines close at short notice'. Political debate on climate issues during the campaign has focused on the contrast between what the parties propose for the power grid. Labor has an underwriting program for large-scale solar, wind and batteries, and a target of 82% of electricity coming from renewable energy by 2030. The Coalition has promised to slow the rollout of renewable energy and rely more on fossil fuel power plants, including keeping coal generators running longer, and eventually building taxpayer funded nuclear plants, mostly after 2040. The Climate Change Authority estimates this could add 2bn more tonnes of emissions to the atmosphere than Labor's policy. The Coalition has also said it would scrap Labor's 2030 emissions target – a 43% cut compared with 2005 levels. Neither party has announced 2035 emissions targets or released a plan to reach net zero emissions. Labor began work on a plan in the last term and has promised a 2035 goal by September if re-elected.
The Guardian
22-04-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Santos wins final approval for Barossa gas project as environment advocates condemn ‘climate bomb'
Santos has received federal approval to commence production from its Barossa offshore gas field off the coast of the Northern Territory. The National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (Nopsema) decided to accept the environment plan for the project's production operations. It marks the final approval required for the project, clearing the way for the gas giant to extract and pipe the gas to Darwin. The Barossa field is known for its 18% carbon dioxide content, which is a higher concentration than other Australian gas fields. The development is projected to add more than 270m tonnes of heat-trapping CO2 to the atmosphere over its life once the gas is sold and burnt overseas. 'This is Australia's dirtiest gas project and it should never have been given the green light,' said Gavan McFadzean, the Australian Conservation Foundation's climate change and clean energy program manager. Get Guardian Australia environment editor Adam Morton's Clear Air column as an email 'Barossa is a massive climate bomb that will produce more climate pollution than usable gas.' McFadzean said despite repeated requests by ACF, Santos had not properly explained how the project would comply with Australia's safeguard mechanism or provided a 'proper assessment of how the greenhouse gas emissions from Barossa will affect Australia's environment'. 'Barossa remains on track for first gas in the third quarter of 2025 and within cost guidance,' a Santos spokesperson said in a statement provided to Guardian Australia on Tuesday. Kirsty Howey, executive director of the Environment Centre NT, said: 'It is unfathomable that it has been approved in 2025, when the climate science is clear that we can have no new fossil fuel projects if we are to avoid dangerous global warming'. 'This approval, in the middle of an election campaign, just goes to show the failure of climate policy in Australia to ensure the necessary phase-out of fossil fuels,' she said. 'If Barossa was a litmus test for the reformed Safeguard Mechanism, that policy has failed,' she said. The Greens environment spokesperson, Sarah Hanson-Young, said if Labor was reelected at the forthcoming election, the Greens would be 'essential' in the new parliament to 'ensure real action is taken to address the climate crisis'. 'If the Albanese government wanted to, they could have worked with the Greens in this parliament to stop climate bombs like Barossa by putting a climate trigger in our environment laws,' she said. 'Instead, on the eve of an election, Santos has been given the green-light to produce some of the dirtiest gas in Australia.' Guardian Australia sought comment from Labor. Approval of the production plan follows legal challenges to other components of the Barossa project, including unsuccessful proceedings related to submerged cultural heritage that were launched by the Environmental Defenders Office on behalf of three Tiwi Island claimants, over a proposed export pipeline. The federal court ordered the EDO to pay Santos's full legal costs late last year.
