Crikey, Australia, you’re stinking up the Pacific! Why are you considering funding a mine that would sharply increase the country’s GHG emissions, endanger the already fragile Great Barrier Reef, and further impact the vulnerable Pacific Islands?!
Both the Australian Queensland state and the federal government have given approval for the Adani mine in the Galilee Basin. The only thing missing for this devious plan to come into effect is funding. Not to worry, Adani has applied for nearly US$1 billion in handouts from the government-backed Northern Australian Infrastructure Fund and are also seeking funding from Chinese banks!
Not only would funding this mine be catastrophic for at least four threatened species, several vulnerable habitats, and the Great Barrier Reef, it would also release heaps of emissions. The annual emissions from the Adani coal mine would be greater than the annual sum emissions of all 14 independent Pacific island countries.
Our second Fossil of the Day goes to Poland for obstructing negotiations and trying to subsidize coal, rather than phasing it out.
With great power comes great responsibility. Unfortunately, Poland isn’t keen on the responsibility part.
The host of the next COP is trying to turn the EU’s flagship climate tool into the world’s largest coal subsidy scheme.
In the ongoing negotiations to revise the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), Poland has been putting outstanding and relentless efforts into obstructing negotiations and sabotaging the climate integrity of this climate policy.
After months of difficult negotiations between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission, the EU is expected to finalize the revision process and set the rules for the coming decade (2020-2030) at a meeting today. The provisions designed to help Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries in the transformation of their energy systems remains a major sticking point in the negotiations.
To reflect the different starting points of the EU countries and the challenges they face in terms of decarbonisation, the ETS set up dedicated funds to support lower income member states (namely CEE countries) in their efforts to transition towards cleaner energy. But at the moment the vast majority of these funds are being misused for subsidizing fossil fuels; coal power in particular.
Poland has been fighting against any measures that would exclude coal from these funds in the future and is also asking to further increase them. If Poland gets its way, the ETS funds for CEE countries will be worth up to EUR€35 billion.
Countries in the EU should be scaling up climate action, not looking for ways to strengthen coal through subsidies. As the host of the next COP, it’s time to step up Poland!
