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Byron Shire
February 14, 2025

Climate action protests inspire federal government to change policy – NOT

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Federal Minister for Energy and Emissions Reductions Angus Taylor says students shouldn’t jeopardise their education to protest. PHOTO: Facebook.

Were you hoping Friday’s student-led climate action protests would act as wake-up call to the federal government?

This is how many changes to policy Australia’s minister for energy and emissions reductions Angus Taylor has announced so far in response: zero.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Scott Morrison enjoyed a lavish ceremony in his honour in the United States but failed to attend the UN Climate Action Summit happening the same weekend in New York.

A right to protest but who cares?

The number of protestors who took to streets across the country in allegiance with environmentalists around the world is difficult to ascertain with certainty and so far reports vary between 300,000 to a million.

Nearly 10,000 rallied across the Northern Rivers alone, gathering in either Lismore, Byron Bay or Tweed.

Tweed Climate Strike. Photo Dave Norris.

Others showed their support for protestors either by donating to a fundraiser for student transport to the rally in Byron Bay, by shutting shop for a few hours while the rally was happening or by displaying posters in shop windows.

The students and other climate change protesters were calling for an end to Australia’s fossil fuel industry, especially the coal mining industry.

Later, Mr Taylor told media he supported a right to protest but didn’t think students should be jeopardising their education in order to exercise it.

Australia’s increased emissions? Deny, deny, deny.

The minister for energy and emissions reduction told ABC Insiders viewers on Sunday acknowledging Australia’s increase in emissions every year for the past four years was ‘cherry-picking’ figures.

He said if we took impacts of Australia’s gas exports into account, a decrease in carbon emissions that would have come from coal was apparent.

But under global agreements, each country has its own carbon emissions targets to meet, meaning any reductions in emissions thanks to replacing coal with gas would already be calculated in that country’s figure.

So far, the minister has failed to mention this point and also refuses to apply the same logic of his argument in support of gas to Australia’s coal exports.

Insiders host Fran Kelly asked Mr Taylor on Sunday why coal exports wouldn’t also be taken into account in his maths, given Australia is the world’s second-largest coal exporter.

‘Because gas is such a large-growth industry,’ said Mr Taylor.

Investment in renewables

The minister maintained the government’s promise for Australia to reach its Paris agreement emissions targets ‘in a canter’ and said worries from the renewable energy sector about a lack of investment due to weak government policy were based on information that wasn’t true.

Mr Taylor said he’d been advised investment was booming.

 

 


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8 COMMENTS

    • Michele are you not addicted to COAL ? .. can you honestly say that anything that you do , and have in your live is not connected to Coal ..? The irony!!

  1. You can tell a fossil fuel addict… they can’t look
    you in the eye… they’re afraid of ‘all people’
    more educated [read intelligent] than they are
    & use a position of power as a weapon against
    global truths such as the ‘science’ of it all. The
    United Nations have there number & refused to
    allow them to speak at the World Summit.

  2. PS… I don’t usually quote the US… still, in spite of Trump,
    in the US Renewable energy now produces more power
    than coal. Look it up.

    • Stefanie! ! Renewables powers 2% worldwide
      And that is a irrefutable fact !!!! By the way why did the echo warrior Bob Brown reject a wind farm near his property???

      • Burrow, you ask a question to which a simple piece of research on your behalf would have answered the question. The answer is available to you Burrow and anyone that is genuinely interested by visiting The Bob Brown Foundation website.

  3. Angus Taylor is just repeating bald-faced lies.

    We are NOT meeting our emissions targets, EVERY credible monitoring report agrees, even his own department!

    The government is NOT taking any action to reduce emissions, all actions undertaken so far have been done by citizens and businesses showing initiative and leadership – which is what people expect of a government! Investment in renewables IS booming, but it has had nothing to do with the government now trying to claim the credit for something they don’t support and have actively undermined. Despite the growth in renewables, emissions are still rising because fossil fuels industries are also increasing.

    And then there is the question of Australia being the second-largest exporter of coal. Only the courts seem interested in applying the science to reduce this crime against nature. Still nothing from Angus and his mates. How stupid are they?

    One day off school is hardly “jeopardising their education”, particularly for something this important!

  4. First, go check that out, Barrow. Simple & right reasoning.
    (Far too High & danger to animals etc). Next, work out the
    size & value of 2% of the world’s renewables & you’ll get
    your answer. [There’s employment & money in it.] Check
    Adani too – he’s more than just invested in it.

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