The people of the Northern Rivers of NSW stopped the unconventional gas industry at Bentley because they knew it was bad for their health and the environment (Planet Watch: the madness and corruption of unconventional gas, The Echo, 14/7/2020). In 2023, the Greens are still trying to stop new coal and gas projects and they are not alone.
The International Energy Agency’s 2021 Flagship report Net Zero by 2050: A Roadmap for the Global Energy Sector clearly stated that: ‘Beyond projects already committed as of 2021, there are no new oil and gas fields approved for development in our [net-zero 2050] pathway, and no new coal mines or mine extensions are required.’ This was confirmed in its World Energy Outlook 2022 report.
Despite this advice, there are 114 new coal and gas projects in Australia’s investment pipeline and an analysis by the Australian Parliamentary Library estimates those projects in total ‘have the potential to create 2.5 times Australia’s domestic emissions each year’.
Many are fearful of the environmental and cultural effects of these projects on their land. The NSW Department of Planning received 23,000 submissions relating to the Narrabri project, for example – the most ever received on a major resource project. Less than 500 were in support.
If we don’t stop opening new fossil fuel projects now, when will we? The Greens need praise for their stand.
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
