ENERGY MINISTER ANGUS Taylor has announced the Federal Government will be placing the interests of fossil fuel producers ahead of the interests of Australians.
Mr Taylor released the findings of the King Review this morning, agreeing to recommendations to open up funding to carbon capture and storage projects in the Emissions Reduction Fund as well as to big emitters.
“Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is incredibly expensive. Australian governments have already spent hundreds of millions of dollars on this technology and have very little to show for it. CCS is not a climate solution, but an attempt to prolong the role of fossil fuels in the energy system,” said Climate Councillor and energy expert Greg Bourne.
The Morrison government has also agreed to a recommendation that will see big polluters paid for reducing their emissions.
“As we chart a course for recovery from COVID-19, the Government needs to be focused on building a resilient, renewable economy, not throwing taxpayer dollars at fossil fuel producers and failed technology,” he said.
“The Federal Government is dreaming if it thinks carbon capture and storage is a legitimate form of reducing emissions,” said Climate Council Senior Researcher, Tim Baxter.
“It is completely at odds with action on climate change, which fuelled the recent bushfires, and over the summer drove the most widespread bleaching event to ever occur on the Great Barrier Reef,” said Baxter.
“The Federal Government’s ‘roadmap’ will only lead to more bushfires, higher power bills, stranded assets and ultimately job losses,” he said.
“Australia has the technology to drive down greenhouse gas emissions. We must stop propping up the fossil fuel industry and instead accelerate the transition to renewables and storage,” said Baxter.
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