Australia is known to be one of the most pollutant countries in the world. Australia 2030 pollution emissions are twice as much of what USA's and UK's emissions are. Yet, with climate change being a huge problem around the globe Australia refuses to give up coal. Australia is one of the world's largest fossil fuel producers. They will continue to mine for coal because:
- Loyalty to the industry
- Market monopoly
- Not wanting to go green.
Loyalty to the industry:
Australia has relied on coal for years to save its economy. Coal mining has helped Australia's economy for decades. The coal mining industry supports a huge workforce in the rural areas and is also credited for the country's wealth which is why the government can not abolish it.
Market Monopoly:
The demand for coal is still there and Australia is one of the top coal producers. Hence, a lot of international income flows into the country. India and China alone use up 64% of Australia's coal. With the high demand, Australia continues to profit from this industry.
Not wanting to go green:
The argument is that even if Australia stops cola production, the alternative for the country is liquified gas. The government has already pledged half a billion dollars to new gas basins and plants, defying global calls for an end to new fossil fuel projects.
Apart from this the government has cut the renewable energy funds and has also withdrawn from the UN's Green Climate Fund.
Are economic growth and high exports good enough reasons for Australia to keep mining coal?
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-57925798
5 comments:
It is interesting that with how progressive Australia presents itself, it won't join in the fight against climate change by lessening the coal industry. It is a well-known fact that coal and other fossil fuels are one of the biggest contributors to climate change. This instance shows that even progressive countries like Australia are not willing to give up economic benefits to save the planet.
It seems Australia has deep ties to the coal industry but at some point I think their hand will get played for them. Eventually, the world will be much more green as energy sources other than sustainable energy will be no longer used. Their loyalty is unwavering but eventually I think the going green push will overtake their ties.
Are economic growth and high exports good enough reasons for Australia to keep mining coal? This is an interesting question that I believe has been a popular question recently with high concerns of climate change. Nations are taking a stand against pollution and moving toward greener energy. The problem with this is change and all the resources and money it will take to change from a coal-driven economy. If Australia decides to change over to a liquified gas form of energy this will not only cause Australia to lose money from exports to China, it can also cause a loss of jobs for the citizens.
I see the problem from using coal in Australia, but at the same time, the US still uses a large amount of coal, and is slowly moving towards more green solutions. One of the main reasons that the US has been able to cut pollutants is due to its ability to switch from coal to natural gas, which is a far cleaner alternative compared to coal. However, Australia is a very hot country that has a large amount of unused land in the center of the island which could be used for solar panels. This depends on the priorities and their ability to pay for such a massive infrastructure move.
As Dalton said, I see the problem of Australia using coal, however the US also uses vast amounts of coal. It is necessary that all countries begin implementing some sort of reduction in pollution effects. One of the biggest argument is to "go green" through the use of electricity. However, what needs to be considered with electrical energy is where the electricity is coming from. There are still factories and facilities that are creating this electricity which often produce a significant amount of pollution. Is electrical energy really any better (statistically significant) than the use of coal?
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