In response to the announcement from federal Resources Minister Madeleine King that the federal government will grant new exploration licences for offshore gas and carbon pollution dumping (CCS), Jess Beckerling, the Executive Director of the Conservation Council of WA, said today:
“There is no future with gas. WA does not need more offshore gas exploration, with the vast majority of the gas we already produce exported overseas. Recent research even indicates that Woodside’s Burrup Hub is a net negative for WA’s domestic gas supply due to its increasing export demand. If WA were its own country, it would rank as the third-largest gas exporter globally.
“Any new gas exploration amidst a climate crisis is dangerous and irresponsible. Major projects like Woodside’s Burrup Hub and Chevron’s Gorgon project are a major threat to a safe climate – threatening to emit billions of tonnes of carbon dioxide each decade. After our longest, hottest, driest summer ever recorded, WA has firsthand experience of the environmental and community costs associated with gas.
“A clean energy future cannot rely on fossil fuels. Gas is a dirty and expensive resource that drives up costs. Carbon pollution dumping is an unreliable and impractical technology; it has only succeeded in prolonging the fossil gas industry.
“Why would the Resources Minister approve additional gas exploration when what we need is a sensible, rapid transition to renewable energy? More gas is a recipe for climate disaster and is no good for WA.”
ENDS
CONTACT: For any enquiries relating to this release please contact 0412 272 570 or by email on [email protected]
MEDIA INFORMATION: The Conservation Council of WA (CCWA) is the state’s foremost non-profit, non-government conservation organisation representing nearly 100 environmental organisations across Western Australia.
For more information, visit: ccwa.org.au.