In spite of international recommendations to phase out fossil fuels, Australia has declared it will increase its gas extraction and consumption until “2050 and beyond”.
The administration of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese claims that the action is necessary to facilitate the shift to net zero energy while bolstering the domestic energy supply.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) has called for “huge declines in the use of coal, oil, and gas” in order to meet climate targets, which critics claim represents a rejection of science.
One of the biggest exporters of liquefied natural gas worldwide, Australia, has added that the policy is predicated on “its commitment to being a reliable trading partner”.
The strategy, which was made public on Thursday, describes how the federal government intends to collaborate with state and industry leaders to boost the production and exploration of fossil fuels.
Additionally, the government will keep funding the country’s current gas projects, the biggest of which are in Western Australia and are managed by Chevron and Woodside Energy Group.
It contends that in order to meet its goals of reaching net zero emissions by 2050 and supplying the grid with 82% renewable energy by 2030, Australia’s domestic energy supply must make these changes.
Currently, 27% of the nation’s energy demands are met by gas. However, the majority of domestic production is exported to nations like South Korea, Japan, and China.
Government statistics indicates that around 25% of Australia’s overall emissions are attributable to gas.
Environmental organizations and opponents of the program have fiercely criticized it, claiming that it prioritizes the interests of large fossil fuel firms over those of the general public.
“Transition fuels do not include fossil gas. It’s the biggest source of increases in CO2 [emissions] during the past ten years and one of the primary causes of global warming, Prof. Bill Hare, the CEO of Climate Analytics and a prolific writer of UN climate change studies, told the BBC.
In a statement released on Thursday, independent senator David Pocock criticized it, calling it “morally bankrupt, negligent, and just plain stupid.”
Over the years, the Australian government has promoted gas as an essential “bridging fuel” and claimed that cutting it off too soon would have “significant adverse impacts” on the country’s energy needs and economy.
Building a net zero policy around gas, however, will “contribute to locking in 2.7-3C global warming, which will have catastrophic consequences,” according to Prof. Hare and other scientists.
In order to prevent the worst effects of climate change, world leaders made a commitment in 2015 to attempt to keep long-term temperature increases to 1.5C.
According to the EU’s climate service, that limit was just surpassed for the first time, from February 2023 to January 2024.