Climate Council of Australia welcomes the opportunity to provide input on the Australian Government’s Future Gas Strategy.

Gas is a fossil fuel responsible for driving harmful climate change around the world. The extraction and processing of gas in Australia releases greenhouse gas emissions, mostly made up of methane, which is around 85 times more potent than carbon dioxide over the short term. This is harmful to the climate and our health and well-being, and can be urgently phased out.

Meanwhile, Australia has significant comparative advantages in building zero-emissions energy such as wind and solar with storage. We are one of the sunniest and windiest countries in the world, gifting us the potential to grow our renewable energy capacity and allow future industries to thrive in a net-zero world. But they must be supported to move beyond emissions-intensive fossil fuels that are driving the climate crisis.

It’s these choices made today by the Australian Government that will shape the kind of world that younger Australians inherit; the more we can cut greenhouse gas emissions this decade, the better the prospects for a safe and prosperous future. The Australian Government should be capitalising on our natural advantage by leading the energy transition for our region. This will require actively planning and investing in large-scale clean energy solutions, and taking steps to transition gas out of our homes, energy, transport and industrial systems as soon as possible.

It is the Climate Council’s strong recommendation that the Future Gas Strategy support this by mapping out a clear pathway for phasing down the use of gas in Australia. It should be transparent with communities and industry about where, and for how long, gas will be needed into the future, and crucially, clear about what the opportunities are to rapidly replace it with clean, affordable energy alternatives.