The Federal Government’s ongoing support for coal-fired power is at odds with the latest report from the United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which has warned the world time is running out for burning fossil fuels.
The United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report said fossil fuel use must end by 2100 if dangerous climate change is to be averted. However, Prime Minister Abbott has reiterated his strong support for coal, describing it as the “foundation of our prosperity.”
Environment Minister Greg Hunt added to the conversation, saying he believed Australia does not have to give up using coal altogether. Mr Hunt is citing the government’s newly legislated Direct Action climate policy, which he says will clean up coal energy use while allowing the industry to flourish, as reported by SBS News.
The IPCC report said without urgent action, the world would warm by four degrees by 2100 and continue to get hotter. In addition to phasing out coal-fired power completely by 2100, it urged a target that coal should generate only 20 per cent of the world’s power by 2050.
