Lock the Gate Alliance welcomes the QLD Miles Government’s new and improved greenhouse pollution reduction targets of 75% by 2035 announced today.
But the Alliance says, should the government continue to approve new and expanding fossil fuel projects, the target would either be unachievable, or other sectors of the QLD economy would need to make even greater cuts just so coal and gas companies could continue polluting.
The first test for the Miles Government will be next Friday (December 22), when a decision is due on Whitehaven’s Winchester South coal mine.
If approved and built, the mine would be responsible for more than half a billion tonnes of greenhouse gas pollution - more than the entire annual GHG emissions of Australia - including 14.2 million tonnes of on site emissions.
Lock the Gate Alliance National Coordinator Ellen Roberts said it was now crucial that the Queensland Government backed its targets with real action by rejecting super polluting coal and gas projects planned for the state like Winchester South.
“We very much welcome these increased emissions reduction targets and congratulate the new Premier on making this an issue for his first day,” she said.
“The Miles Government will soon face its first climate test next week, with a ruling on the future of Whitehaven’s planned Winchester South coal mine due.
“This super polluting greenfield coal mine alone would be responsible for more than half a billion tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, and approving this mine will make it harder for Queensland to achieve these new safe climate targets.
“The new premier now also holds the keys to protecting the Channel Country rivers and floodplains of Queensland’s Lake Eyre Basin from fossil gas projects. We call on Mr Miles to move swiftly and put in place full protections for this iconic yet fragile region from fracking.
“The climate crisis is already hitting Queenslanders, particularly regional Queenslanders, hard. Worsening extreme weather events like floods, bushfires, heatwaves, and droughts threaten the lifestyle we in the Sunshine State hold dear. Man-made climate change is devastating communities and driving up the cost of living. We have no more time to waste.”
ENDS