Turnbull rejected calls for a global moratorium on new coal mines, saying that stopping all coal exports would be a mistake, as Australian coal is cleaner and more suitable for tackling global poverty.
“No I don't agree with a moratorium on the idea of exploiting coal,” Turnbull said this week.
“If Australia were to stop all of its coal exports it would not reduce global emissions one iota.
In fact, arguably it would increase them because our coal, by and large, is cleaner than the coal in many other countries.”
NSW Minerals Council CEO Stephen Galilee said a low emissions energy future includes coal, and the foundations are already in place.
“In NSW our coal exports can contribute to lower emissions, help tackle energy poverty around the world all the while generating the jobs and economic growth we see here in NSW,” he said.
Labor Opposition Leader Bill Shorten also rejected the calls for a coal moratorium, ensuring a bipartisan commonsense approach to energy policy and the role of coal.
The International Energy Agency estimates that an additional 1 billion tonnes of coal will be used in 2019 compared with today and that by 2040 global coal trade will increase by around 40%.
“This means that the world’s future energy needs will not be satisfied without coal,” Galilee said. “And the more that high quality NSW coal can replace the use of lower quality coal from other countries, the lower global emissions will be over coming decades.
“Restricting the development of Australian coal mines will only mean increased use of coal of a much lower standard mined elsewhere. NSW also adheres to probably the strictest environmental guidelines in the world, further minimising the impact of our mining operations on the environment.”
Greens Senator Larissa Waters said an international moratorium on new coal mines should be put on the agenda for the upcoming climate change talks in Paris.
“But when asked about the call, the Prime Minister mischaracterised it as one for ending existing coal mining in Australia, and avoided answering the real call for no additional, new coal mines,” she said.
“Australians deserve more than a Prime Minister who sidesteps questions about our future and that of our children and our Pacific neighbours. Coal must not be treated as the elephant in the room at the climate talks.
“Standing next to our new chief scientist, who had just outlined his vision for a zero emissions future, the Prime Minister repeated the coal lobby's mantra that coal will relieve energy poverty, which is factually incorrect given the lack of electricity grid and the expense of coal.
“In contradiction, the Prime Minister then correctly said in developing countries where people are not connected to the grid, solar was a cheaper option than coal.
“While the Prime Minister rightly lauded the potential for clean energy, he is keeping Tony Abbott's plans to abolish the clean energy support agencies ARENA and the CEFC, and is persisting with Abbott's science-ignoring pollution reduction targets.
“But he can't have it both ways - Australians want action on climate change and that means walking the walk, including by increasing our targets for Paris in line with science.”
