The Climate Council has branded a decision to open a new centre for fossil fuels with taxpayer money “nonsensical.”
The Government today announced $15.4m for over four years for the Oil, Gas, Energy and Resources Growth Centre, just weeks after CSIRO announced it would slash more than a hundred climate science jobs.
“Let’s be clear: there is no future for coal, oil or gas in a world where we are effectively acting on climate change,” Professor Will Steffen said.
“On our current trajectory, the carbon budget – the maximum amount of fossil fuels we can burn to stay below two degrees of warming – will run out in less than two decades.
“By that time, emissions must be at zero. This latest government initiative is money that will be spent on increasing pollution and making climate change worse.
“The US has imposed a moratorium on new coal mines on federal lands, China will close more than 1000 coal mines this year and many other countries are taking action to reduce usage of fossil fuels. Everyone seems to have got the message that the era of polluting fuel sources is over except the Australian Government.”
“For a government that is on record as being so pro-innovation, their ongoing investment in an industry with no future – and one that is at odds with tackling climate change – defies logic.”
For media enquiries, please contact Jessica Craven on 0400 424 559 or jess@climatecouncil.org.au