The Greens have slammed the decision to approve a massive new methane gas project in the weeks following the Glasgow climate pact, calling the Liberal & Labor-approved Scarborough project a slap in the face to climate scientists.

Scarborough is the most polluting project currently proposed in Australia. Driven by the WA Labor government, the gas field threatens to release 1.6bn tonnes of carbon emissions - equivalent to 15 coal-fired power stations. 

The Australian Greens have urged the Morrison-Joyce Government to join the Global Methane Pledge, saying the government’s finger pointing about cattle was hiding the real problem: coal and gas. 

The Pledge urges nations to reduce methane emissions by 30% by at least 30 percent from 2020 levels by 2030, similar to the CFC pledge that saved the Ozone Layer. 

The Northern Territory gas fields hold the equivalent of 70 years worth of Australia’s complete national emissions from all sectors. 

Greens Senator Dorinda Cox says many traditional owners of the lands have raised serious concerns about the lack of consultation, information and respect through the process. 

The Senate Committee into the Juukan crisis has released their final report. Greens Senator Lidia Thorpe sat on the Inquiry, saying that, “This government was built on colonial violence. The final Juukan report shows us that this violence is still in the laws that we use today.”

“The Inquiry clearly showed how our heritage protection laws not only fail to protect, but are even designed to favor the developers and miners. Current legislation does not create space for adequate consultation and consent, and the possibility to say ‘no’ to a proposed activity.

With a Senate Committee into the Juukan Gorge crisis due to conclude today, the Greens have announced a comprehensive $767 million ‘Caring for Country’ plan to expand protections for Indigenous areas and sacred sites, fund more First Nations ranger programs and legislate environmental personhood to areas of First Nations significance - ensuring that future crises’ like that at Juukan are avoided.

With Energy Security Board chairman Kerry Schott’s predicting that the grid could be without coal-fired power as in the early 2030’s, the Greens will move when Parliament resumes for a legally binding thermal coal phase out by 2030, arguing that without a planned transition, workers and coal communities will suffer disruption and uncertainty.

The Greens will give notice of a ‘Quit Coal’ bill when Parliament resumes next week with a legislated timetable for phasing out of thermal coal exports by 2030. 

The Greens have reiterated their call for Australia to act in line with the climate science and UN call to quit coal, with an RBA report estimating the impact on the Australian economy would be as low as 0.1% of GDP.

“Traditional Owners of the Gundanji and Garawa nation do not consent to fracking in the Beetaloo basin, but the government has put $50 million towards doing it anyway,” said DjabWurrung, Gunnai and Gunditjmara woman Lidia Thorpe, the Greens Senator for Victoria.

“These are communities that don’t even have access to proper health and housing infrastructure. As a government, it’s our job to provide this and instead of doing that we’re paying private companies to poison their waters and destroy their lands.

The government must release documents relating to the awarding of a $21 million grant to Liberal Party-aligned fracking company Empire Energy, after the Senate this afternoon supported a Greens’ motion.

The order compels the government to produce by 9.30 am on Thursday, 12 August, all correspondence, lists of applicants and grant guidelines related to its Beetaloo Basin grant scheme, in addition to details of any meetings between Ministers Angus Taylor or Keith Pitt and Empire Energy.

The Greens say today’s awarding of $21 million of public money to a private corporation to frack the Northern Territory will turbocharge climate collapse, threatens groundwater and goes against the wishes of Traditional Owners.

The money, taken from the $50 million Beetaloo Basin slush fund created by the Coalition and supported by Labor, will be given to Imperial Oil and Gas to drill three new gas wells.