Speaking this morning after a protest outside the WA electoral office of federal Resources Minister Madeleine King, the President of the Conservation Council of WA Richard Yin responded to the government’s Future Gas Strategy as follows:
“The Labor government has betrayed the Australian people by caving in to pressure from the gas industry. The government’s support for dirty gas, including fracking, is a disaster for local communities and for a safe climate future. This rebadging of Scott Morrison’s gas-led recovery is a wish list for industry that locks in fossil fuel emissions for decades to come.
“In WA, we know that the vast majority of gas produced here is exported offshore and does nothing to keep the lights on at home. If WA were its own country, it would be the third largest gas exporter in the world. Projects like Woodside’s Burrup Hub and Chevron’s Gorgon project will emit billions of tonnes of carbon emissions every decade. We know from direct experience the cost of gas to our environment, our families and our future.
“A clean energy future cannot be based on more fossil fuels. Gas is a dirty, expensive fuel that pushes up costs. Carbon capture is a fanciful technology - it does not work and it cannot be relied on as part of any serious, responsible national strategy. The only thing it has successfully achieved is to extend the life of the fossil gas industry.
“Despite this, the Albanese government has chosen to keep exporting this toxic product instead of helping the world transition away from fossil fuels. The government has made a major wrong turn today that is deeply out of step with Australian values. The government has sided with giant fossil fuel companies instead of backing the science, the community and the moral imperative of addressing the climate crisis. This government’s gas strategy endangers a safe climate future.
“We will be working with the West Australian community across our state to ensure we place WA and the country on a sensible, sustainable track towards renewable energy and a safe climate. This demands a rapid and fair transition away from new fossil fuels, which means an end to gas industry expansion.”
ENDS
MEDIA INFORMATION: The Conservation Council of WA (CCWA) is the state’s foremost nonprofit, non-government conservation organisation representing nearly 100 environmental organisations across Western Australia.
For more information, visit: ccwa.org.au.
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