One of Australia’s peak environment groups has labeled the Morrison Government’s climate plan an outrageous exercise in making taxpayers clean up rising pollution from the fossil fuel industry, revealing that emissions from just one of Chevron’s LNG plants would cancel out any reductions achieved under the proposal.
The Morrison Government plans to reduce carbon pollution by 103 million tonnes by 2030, but the Conservation Council of WA (CCWA) says that just one of Chevron’s LNG projects would produce the same amount of pollution during that time. According to EPA documents, Chevron’s Wheatstone LNG plant will produce 10 million tonnes of carbon pollution every year for the same period, cancelling out the entire savings to be achieved by the ‘Direct Action’ plan.
CCWA Director Piers Verstegen said that the Morrison Government plan shifts the cost and responsibility away from the big polluters, and onto individual taxpayers.
“Scott Morrison wants everyday Australians to pay to clean up the pollution from multinational fossil fuel companies like Chevron, who don’t pay any tax themselves. Using taxpayers’ money to clean up after the big polluters is an outrageous free kick for the fossil fuel industry.
“This policy is the ultimate blame-shifting exercise. It’s outrageous to make everyday Australians take responsibility for the pollution caused by multi-billion dollar multinational corporations in the fossil fuel industry.
“The LNP plan for climate change does nothing at all to address Australia’s biggest corporate polluters. Under this plan, companies like Chevron will be able to continue to increase their pollution every year, while Australian taxpayers pick up the bill.
“The Morrison Government just don’t get it on climate change. Just last week, Senior Ministers in the Morrison Government were urging the coal industry to abandon climate change commitments and instead continue to ramp up coal production. Now they want taxpayers to take responsibility for cleaning up after the polluters they are encouraging and subsidising.
“While individual action is important, the pollution from the oil and gas industry here in WA is already cancelling out the savings from every solar panel installed across the country.
“Companies like Chevron must be held to account for their pollution – not let off the hook while everyday Australians pay to clean up their mess.”