The Greens have responded to the early closure of Yallourn by 2028 by slamming the Federal and State governments’ refusal to legislate a clear timetable for all coal closures by 2030 and establish proper transition authorities, saying Liberal and Labor’s unwillingness to plan a coal phase-out has left workers and communities in the lurch.

For too long, the state and federal governments have taken a backseat with the coal power station’s impending closure, despite years of advocacy from the Greens and environmental groups calling for a planned transition.

Greens Leader, Adam Bandt, says a new report on the impact of global warming on the Murray-Darling makes the fork in the road crystal clear.

“If Scott Morrison doesn’t accept we’re in a climate emergency and start phasing out coal and gas, nothing will save the Murray-Darling,” Bandt said.

“The Prime Minister must choose between crops or coal, because we can’t have both.

“Scott Morrison is failing to protect Australia’s farmers.

“Scott Morrison’s coal-hugging and climate-denial is threatening Australia’s ability to feed itself.

The Australian Greens leader, Adam Bandt, has called on the leaders of the Liberal, Labor and National parties to stop peddling fantasies and come clean with coal communities about the rapid decline of demand towards 2030.
 
Australia’s three biggest top thermal coal and gas customers have announced zero emissions targets, which would mean a rapid de-carbonization of the electricity sector in the next two decades, with targets likely to be similar to Joe Biden’s 2035 zero-carbon electricity pledge.

Responding to calls from the Deputy Prime Minister that he should resign for calling for a phase-out of coal, Greens Leader, Adam Bandt, has said that Michael McCormack is a threat to the Australian way of life, that his love of coal is a direct threat to Australia and that he should stand-down for putting Australians’ lives at risk.

“Michael McCormack is a direct threat to Australia’s farmers, our workers and our way of life,” said Mr Bandt.

“Michael McCormack is putting Australians’ safety at risk and he should stand down.

Greens Leader, Adam Bandt, has responded to Labor’s reported capitulation to the Liberals on coal and gas by saying that with both parties agreeing on increasing new coal and gas exports and Labor having dropped any short-term emissions target, there is currently no difference between the parties on reining in the biggest sources of climate pollution.

“Labor has just agreed with the Liberals on coal and gas,” said Greens Leader, Adam Bandt.

“In a climate emergency, you don’t expand coal and gas developments.

Scott Morrison is isolating Australia from the world and our trading partners with his stubborn refusal to accept the need to decarbonise and confront the imminent collapse of 75% of Australia’s thermal coal export market, said Greens Leader, Adam Bandt.

Australia’s top 3 coal buyers - Japan, China and South Korea - have all committed to net-zero emissions targets by 2050 or 2060. To reach those targets, they will have to decarbonise their electricity sectors even earlier, as zero-emissions electricity is key to enabling zero-emissions transport and industry.

As the Morrison government talks up fossil fuel subsidies with its so-called ‘gas-led recovery’, only 12% of Australians want our economic recovery to be primarily powered by gas, compared to 59% who prefer investment in renewables.

Under questioning from Greens Senate Leader, Larissa Waters, at Senate Estimates, the Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources has confirmed that new, more accurate methods of measuring the climate damage from methane (natural gas) will mean Australia will emit the equivalent of approximately 150 million tonnes more of climate pollution between 2021 and 2030 than previously estimated. Instead of decreasing emissions faster to stay within the existing budget, they will simply increase the amount of permissible emissions.

Leader of the Australian Greens Adam Bandt MP has said figures showing an 18% drop in emissions as a result of the coronavirus are doomed to be short-lived under the Liberals' gas led recovery, urging the government to 'lock in' the drop by phasing out coal & gas and massively funding renewables.

"It's pathetic that the Liberals needed an economy-wrecking pandemic to see a drop in emissions," Adam Bandt MP said.

"If Tony Abbott hadn't torn up the Greens-secured carbon price in 2014, we'd have this kind of drop permanently  without having to shut down the economy.

Today's House Economics Committee hearing into the insurance sector has revealed the extent that coal is smashing the insurance industry, highlighting the risks of the government's high-carbon 'snapback' strategy to Australian businesses and homeowners.

Greens Leader and member of the House Economics Committee, Adam Bandt, said that evidence from insurers to today’s committee hearing showed that the climate emergency could make some homes uninsurable as insurers face double-digit percentage increases in their re-insurance costs.