While some 40 countries have undertaken to no longer use coal in the coming decades at the Glasgow Crucial Climate Conference, Australia has not signed this commitment.
Le Monde with AFP
Australia does not intend to strengthen its short-term goals. She said, on Monday, November 8, that she will continue to sell coal during “decades”, after rejecting an agreement to gradually abandon this fossil pollutant fuel to limit climate change.
About 40 countries have committed from coal in the coming decades at Glasgow COP26. Australia, like several large countries of coal such as China and the United States, has not signed this commitment.
The Minister of Australian Resources, Keith Pitt, told the ABC chain:
“We have very clearly said that we will not close our coal mines or coal plants.”
Defending the Australian decision, Mr. Pitt assured that his country enjoyed the best coal quality in the world. “If we do not win this market, someone else will win it,” he added. “I would prefer from afar that it is a high quality Australian product, which creates Australian jobs and develops the Australian economy, rather than a [coal] from Indonesia, Russia or elsewhere, “said the Minister, ensuring that the coal demand is to increase until 2030.
The government plan criticized
Australia, one of the largest producers of coal and natural gas in the world, has experienced extreme events in recent years – droughts, forest fires and floods – amplified by climate change. The Government of Scott Morrison unveiled on 26 October a target of carbon neutrality in 2050, but this plan has been criticized for its lack of detail and the fact that it is largely based on still unknown technological innovations.
The Minerals Council of Australia, which represents large mining groups like BHP and Rio Tinto, said the target of 2050 is achievable, with a heavy investment in technology. According to Mr. Pitt, nearly 300,000 Australian jobs are based on the coal sector. The MINERALS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA advances for its figures of 50,000 direct jobs and 120,000 indirect jobs.
Large groups ensure that they disengage the most polluting fossil fuels. In this context, BHP announced Monday that it had sold its participation of 80% in a metallurgical coal mine in the Queensland State, in the east of the country, at Stanmore Resources, for the amount of at least 1 , US $ 2 billion (about 1 billion euros).
Edgar Basto, responsible for Australian mining at BHP, said in a statement:
“At the time when the world is decarbonising, BHP focuses more on the production of high quality metallurgical coal, sought by global steelworkers, to improve [energy efficiency] and reduce emissions. “