Stephen Bates (Brisbane, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

The mining, transportation and burning of fossil fuels is the single-biggest contributor to the climate crisis. If we want to avoid environmental and economic disaster by staying within 1.5 degrees of global heating, we must make real cuts to emissions and transition to 100 per cent renewable energy. The number of 1.5 degrees is not just a talking point; according to the world's scientists, it's a very real planetary boundary. If we breach it, our climate system is at risk of tipping over and spiralling into chain reactions, and we will no longer be able to control the climate breakdown. No area of our lives would be untouched by this—from our food supply sending prices sky-high to our hospital services being overrun, infrastructure damage from sewage systems, flooding cities and the loss of our precious natural landscapes and wildlife.

Climate damage is not some far-off distant threat; we are already experiencing the shift, with 100-year bushfires and floods every few years. For us in the Brisbane electorate, the 2022 floods have left our community rebuilding for the last year, with some local businesses only now being able to reopen the doors again while others have been forced to close permanently.

The government seem to just expect everyday people and volunteers to clean up the mess from natural disasters and to keep pushing year in and year out to survive. They rely on individuals, families and communities to bear the brunt of extreme and unpredictable weather. Meanwhile, they are funnelling billions in taxpayer dollars into the pockets of the fossil fuel industry and making the climate crisis actively worse. Community members are taking on personal responsibility to reduce their individual emissions, like using reusable bags and paper straws and making choices about the food they consume. Meanwhile, the government allows the biggest polluters in the country to pay little to no tax and destroy our natural environment, and then sends us the bill. This is the only evidence you need to see whose side the government is truly on.

Governments only ever tinker around the edges when it comes to kicking their addiction to fossil fuels. They politely ask fossil fuel companies to reduce their emissions, but this has not worked in the past and will never work. Their business model and method of profit comes at the expense of our climate. This industry cannot regulate itself. It's the government's responsibility to phase out fossil fuels to ensure that our economy and climate are sustainable.

This bill allows fossil fuel giants to offset 100 per cent of emissions. If you just heard 100 per cent and think that seems very high, that's because it is. The Climate Council thinks so too. They stated that this is highly problematic because unlimited use of offsets will simply encourage carbon accounting to cover up pollution as usual. The design of the Safeguard Mechanism should prioritise genuine emissions reduction, because tackling harmful climate change means Australia's emissions must shrink rapidly this decade. This bill does not do that. It allows for the facilities regulated by the proposed Safeguard Mechanism to have access to unlimited offsets. So what incentive is there for the facilities to actually reduce their emissions? Analysis by the Parliamentary Library found that the cost of buying offsets to comply with the new Safeguard Mechanism proposals to the fossil fuel industry could be less than 0.1 per cent of these firms' profits. There is no incentive for them to innovate or invest in new technologies to lower emissions. They can simply buy their way out of actually doing anything.

Our climate responds to the amount of greenhouse gases being pumped into the atmosphere. It does not care about accounting tricks or good intentions. To put it bluntly, it is not possible to fully offset the billions of tons of greenhouse gas emissions that come from the burning of fossil fuels by just regrowing forests. Yes, carbon is everywhere on Earth, in the atmosphere, oceans, soils and living beings, and it is being continuously exchanged between them. This exchange is what's known as the active carbon cycle. But burning fossil fuels releases carbon that has been locked away underground for millions of years and puts tons of new carbon into the active carbon cycle. No matter how many trees we plant, this new carbon can never be locked away underground again. It goes on to remain part of the active cycle. This is why the science tells us that the phasing out of fossil fuels is the number one action needed to hold our planet from cooking and mitigate these climate disasters. But there are 117 new coal and gas projects in the investment pipeline, and both Liberal and Labor's climate and energy plans are committed to more fossil fuel projects.

The Greens want to work with the Labor government to get real tangible action on addressing climate change. We know this can be done because we've done it before. The last time Labor came to the table and worked with the Greens, we were able to get the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, a price on carbon that actually made the fossil fuel industry pay for the damage it causes to our planet, and the establishment of the Australian Renewable Energy Agency. The result: the biggest decrease in pollution we have seen and $20 billion in investment across 600 renewable projects across the country.

Real climate action is what is required to save our environment, our economy and our future. We can repair our reputation on the world stage, stop our Pacific neighbours from experiencing mass displacement, and become global leaders in renewable energy and sustainability. Real climate action is 100 per cent publicly owned renewable energy and the rollout of domestic renewable manufacturing and infrastructure. It's investing in public transport and restoring our natural environment. Real climate action is ending the $11 billion a year of public subsidies for the fossil fuel industry. This amounts to the government handing over a staggering $20,000 every minute of every day to an industry profiting off environmental demise.

Real climate action is electrification of our homes and businesses, removing our reliance on gas and ensuring energy security and reducing our power bills. Real climate action is showing the world that Australia is able to kick our reliance on fossil fuels and embrace our future as a renewable energy superpower. Real action on climate is no new coal and gas.

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