Labor and Coalition accused of being on fossil fuel ‘unity ticket’ as thermal coal exports hit record high | Coal

Work and Coalition They were accused of going to the elections on the “ticket of unity”, ignoring the main contribution of Australia to the climate crisis after a report on thermal coal exports reached record levels in the last quarter of last year.

Government data shows that the country is shipping a record amount – 57 million tons – of charcoal for burning in power plants abroad between October and December. This is the highest three -month registration.

Australia is the second largest thermal coal exporter, behind Indonesia. She exported 209 million tons during the year 2024, which is the second highest amount for the evaluation year.

the Data from the Department of Industry, Science and Resources It was released during an electoral campaign in which the main parties discussed the future mixture of the electricity network, but they did not focus largely on the impact of the climate crisis.

The Labor Party has announced one new climate policy – support for home batteries. The coalition has not issued plans to reduce emissions over the next decade, and pledged to relax or cancel many work policies provided to reduce climate pollution. None of them discussed fossil fuel exports in Australia.

The head of research at the Fossil Fuels Lock the Gate Alliance, Georgina Woods, said that the global heating caused by the burning fossil fuel was “already affecting the Australian companies, the well -being of society, the bills of families and national security” and the destruction of “our unusual natural heritage.”

She said: “It is really worrying that political leaders in the country do not seem to understand this threat and what it will cause to protect us from escalating harm. It seems that they are satisfied with allowing companies connected to their head.” “Political leaders need to become difficult and become real for the country’s interest, and make it clear to the industry that the national interest comes first.”

Javan McFavzian, of the Australian Conservation Corporation, said that the country’s coal exports in the country were a “horrific contribution” to the climate crisis and “the main handbraft” of the global efforts to reduce emissions. He said that the main parties were working on the “unit ticket” to try to make the Australian public think “there is nothing that can be seen here.”

The Foundation estimated that last year, coal exports had led to the launch of 483 million tons of carbon dioxide in the air after it was burned abroad – more than a total company₂ It was released in Australia, which was about 435 million tons.

Both the two main parties argued that it remained a global market for fossil fuel, and if Australia reduces its sales, it will be replaced by coal and gas from other countries in a way that does not lead to any total gain but will harm parts of the local economy.

The Minister of Climate Change, Chris Bowen, last year told Guardian Australia Labor in agreement with the people who saidThe largest effect that Australia could have on the climate was to reduce the demand for exportsFor this reason, the government has supported policies aimed at making the country a “great power of renewable energy.”

When asked about the latest thermal coal data, a spokesman for the Labor Party focused on what he was doing “in our national interest to benefit from the transition of global energy.” They said that international spending on clean energy is now twice as much as it was spent on fossil fuels.

“[We’re] They said: “We have allocated more than $ 8 billion to expand the scope of the green hydrogen industry in Australia, expand the range of green hydrogen in Australia, expand the range of green hydrogen industry in Australia, expand the range of green hydrogen in Australia, expand the range of green hydrogen in Australia, expand the range of green hydrogen industry in Australia, expand the scope of industry Green hydrogen in Australia and expand the range of green hydrogen in Australia, “take advantage of solar energy, wind and critical minerals from solar energy, wind and critical minerals to produce and export what is required in clean energy supply chains around the world as our partner. [are] Work with regional partners to accelerate their own trips to zero. “

The coalition did not respond to a question about its position on coal exports.

The leader of Greens, Adam Pandt, said that Australia was the second largest exporter of climate pollution in the world, based on the emissions of fossil fuel that it has shipped, under labor. He said: “Australia was injured by fires and floods, yet the Labor Party agreed to more than 30 new coal and gas projects, and Peter Daton wants more.”

He said that the Greens will demand in the next parliamentary period that the Minister of Climate Change uses the powers that were presented in 2023 – as part of the renewal of a policy known as the protection mechanism – to stop the approval of the new coal and gas “with a stroke of the pen.”

International energy The agency expects that if governments face pledges to reduce emissions, global coal trade must decrease 27 % between 2025 and 2030.

But the government report, including the latest export data, indicates that Australian officials believe that the country’s coal sales in the country may decrease to only 200 million tons – by 4 % decrease – by the end of the contract.

Woods said that the charcoal industry in Australia continued to plan for mines expansion rather than preparing “in an organized manner for change”, and that local communities will bear the cost “when Coalmines closed a short notice.”

The political debate on climate issues during the campaign focused on the contrast between what the two parties propose to the power network. The Labor Party has a large -scale subscription program for solar, wind and batteries, and the goal of 82 % of the electricity coming from renewable energy by 2030.

The coalition has promised to slow down the start of renewable energy and rely more on fossil power plants, including the conservation of coal generations that operate for a longer period, and eventually build nuclear factories with financing from taxpayers, most of them after 2040. The Climate Change Authority can add 2 billion emissions to the atmosphere of the work policy.

The coalition also said that it would come out of the 2030 -year -old emissions – 43 % compared to 2005 levels. None of the two parties announced the goals of emissions for 2035 or issued a plan to reach net zero emissions. exhaustion Work began on a plan In the recent period, he promised with the goal of 2035 by September if he was re -elected.