Australian Targets

Friday, November 10, 2023

Queensland announces cash grants for new gas exploration, new coal mine extension, to ramp up ocean warming destruction of Great Barrier Reef

Cash grants for gas exploration in Queensland announced by the Queensland Labor Government, Treasurer and Minister for Trade and Investment Cameron Dick, and Minister for Resources Scott Stewart.

"$21 million in funding is available through the Frontier Gas grants program for companies looking to explore and unlock new reserves in the Bowen and Galilee basins and bring Queensland gas to market sooner." said the media statement.

At the same time the Queensland Government granted a mining lease for Anglo American to expand its Lake Lindsay coal mine operation near Middlemount in the Bowen Basin. It will extend the life of the mine producing 5.6 million tonnes of coal and affects 500 jobs. But the loss of tens of thousands of Tourism and hospitality jobs oon the Great Barrier Reef? They are going.

New fossil fuel projects are at odds with climate science for meeting the Paris Climate Temperature Targets. The Queensland Government incentivising fossil fuel exploration and granting extended mining leases is adding to global warming that is cooking the planet, and warming oceans destroying the Great Barrier Reef. It is destroying long term jobs and biodiverrsity.


The announcement comes as Prime Minister Albanese is meeting with Pacific Nations at the Pacific Islands Forum. Pacific leaders have called for a to stop to new fossil fuel projects in The Port Vila Call for a Just Transition to a Fossil Fuel Free Pacific issued in March 2023. 

More recently in early November Pacific Elders urged Australia to: stop approving new gas and coal projects; Stop subsidizing fossil fuel production; and Significantly increase financial support for the Pacific.

The International Energy Agency, the United Nations and IPCC all say that no fossil fuel projects should proceed in order to reach net zero by 2050. The Queensland government is op

The International Energy Agency 2021 report, Net Zero by 2050 – A  Roadmap for the Global Energy Sector, makes it clear that no new fossil fuel development can be made if the world is to reach net zero by 2050.

Samantha Hepburn, Professor in the Deakin Law School, Deakin University wrote at The Conversation in 2022:

"Australia is heading in the wrong direction by opening up new fossil fuel exploration. The move will damage our longer-term security and undermine our climate imperatives. It ignores the glaring economic realities that will eventually push gas out of the market. And opening new gas fields while carbon-capture remains uncertain is dangerous for the planet." - The Conversation, 25 August 2022

The science on limiting fossil fuel extraction and climate targets is clear:

Welsby, D., Price, J., Pye, S. et al. Unextractable fossil fuels in a 1.5 °C world. Nature 597, 230–234 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-03821-8, https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03821-8

Nogrady, Bianca, Nature, 8 September 2021, Most fossil-fuel reserves must remain untapped to hit 1.5 °C warming goal https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-02444-3

Kelly Trout et al (17 May 2022), Existing fossil fuel extraction would warm the world beyond 1.5 °C , Environ. Res. Lett. 17 064010, DOI 10.1088/1748-9326/ac6228, https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ac6228

References

Queensland Government media release, 9 November 2023, Applications open for grants for new gas frontier https://statements.qld.gov.au/statements/99115 

Queensland Government media release, 9 November, 2023, Mine expansion secures 500 good jobs for Central Queensland https://statements.qld.gov.au/statements/99119

Island Times, 3 November 2023, Pacific Elders call on Australia to scrap fossil fuel expansion plans ahead of key Pacific Leader’s talks in order to protect its credibility https://islandtimes.org/pacific-elders-call-on-australia-to-scrap-fossil-fuel-expansion-plans-ahead-of-key-pacific-leaders-talks-in-order-to-protect-its-credibility/


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