AGL bows to pressure to accelerate coal closure, but must move from laggard to leader
Friday, 30 September 2022
Australia’s biggest climate polluter AGL has announced it will bring forward the closure of its dirty coal-burning power station Loy Yang A by a decade as part of its strategic review - five years beyond what the science calls for but a significant step forward for a company that planned to burn coal out to 2048 at the start of last year.
A new study has found methane emissions from flaring at oil and gas wells are five times higher than was generally assumed in old data used by the fossil fuel industry.
And an IMF senior fiscal analyst has estimated the global fossil fuel industry is subsidised to the tune of around US$5.9 trillion every year and if fossil fuel prices were reformed, global carbon dioxide emissions would be reduced by 36 per cent in 2025.
"When Greenpeace started piling pressure on AGL in early 2021, the company planned to run the filthy and decrepit Loy Yang A out to 2048. The commitment to close it by 2035 has a real, tangible benefit to Australia and the world,” Greenpeace Australia Pacific CEO David Ritter said.
Methane emissions from natural gas flaring underestimated fivefold, US study calculates
Methane emissions from flaring at oil and gas wells are five times higher than previously estimated, according to a new study which challenges old data used by the fossil fuel industry on flaring efficiency.
What does government support for fossil fuel subsidies cost our economy and environment?
A senior fiscal analyst with the IMF estimates the global fossil fuel industry is subsidised by around US$5.9 trillion every year and scrapping fossil fuel subsidies would free up more money for innovation, raising around 3.8 percentage points of GDP in extra revenue.
The proposal for a coal-fed hydrogen plant in Tasmania "cannot go ahead" if the state is to meet its target of net-zero emissions by 2030, according to a respected climate scientist, as pressure mounts on the government to condemn the proposal.
Companies using carbon credits to ‘cover their tracks’, says iron ore billionaire
Australian billionaire businessman Andrew Forrest says carbon offsets are questionable, dangerous and far from a good investment for companies hoping to reduce their environmental impact.
Mirarr traditional owners furious over suggestion Jabiluka uranium could be mined
Northern Territory traditional owners say they are "appalled" by a suggestion a second uranium mine could be established in Kakadu National Park.