Responding to the Cook Government’s action plan for Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage for WA today, the Conservation Council of WA said that carbon pollution dumping must not be used as an enabling mechanism for any further new or extended fossil fuel projects, as has already happened in WA with Chevron’s Gorgon facility.
The WA government is presenting carbon dumping as a carbon pollution reduction strategy when it is not and cannot be whilst new, expanded and extended fossil fuel projects are still being approved and supported. Gorgon’s carbon pollution dumping failures have so far resulted in 17.2 MtCO2-e entering the atmosphere that should have been captured and stored.
Jess Beckerling, the Executive Director of the Conservation Council of WA, said this morning:
“There are no projects operating anywhere in the world that have delivered carbon pollution dumping on time, on budget, or in the quantities promised. It is far safer and cheaper to avoid fossil fuel emissions in the first place. Carbon dumping is akin to big tobacco companies telling people to keep smoking because a cure is around the corner. The only safe way to prevent catastrophic climate change is to phase out the use of fossil fuels in favour of renewable energy.
“WA does not need more offshore gas exploration. Ninety percent of the gas we produce is exported. If we were to keep it onshore we could meet gas demand in WA for 65 years without opening up new supplies. It is highly irresponsible and dangerous to be developing further fossil fuels and we must move instead to a renewable energy based economy.
“Woodside’s Burrup Hub, which today received a $15 million handout from the WA government, will further reduce WA’s domestic gas supply by increasing export demand. Major projects like Woodside’s Burrup Hub and Chevron’s Gorgon are major threats to a safe climate – set to emit billions of tonnes of carbon dioxide each decade. Carbon dumping is a fantasy technology that doesn’t work, as we’ve seen with Chevron’s Gorgon project where less than 3% of total emissions have been sequestered successfully.
“Woodside has tried for years to make carbon dumping work for its destructive Browse Gas proposal but was recently knocked back again by the federal government. Carbon dumping doesn’t meaningfully reduce emissions and it introduces significant new impacts and risks increased drilling, seismic blasting, traffic and light pollution. We are particularly concerned about the impacts on Scott Reef, where Woodside wants to drill for oil and gas and dump carbon in this highly sensitive marine environment.
“The only thing that carbon dumping has achieved is to extend the life of the fossil fuel industry. While ordinary West Australians are doing it really tough, big multinational fossil fuel corporations are receiving huge subsidies from government. We must not rely on unproven technologies such as carbon pollution dumping that will extend the demand for fossil fuels, and instead ensure that no new oil and gas fields or coal mines or mine extensions are approved for development.”
ENDS