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 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 call on the Queensland and federal governments to reject Arrow Energy’s massive expansion proposal to drill hundreds of new coal seam gas wells at Hopeland in the Western Downs Region and lay 440km of pipelines in fertile farm land.
 
Arrow Energy has applied to increase its number of coal seam gas wells at the Hopeland site from six to 286. The state government previously declared the area off-limits for future coal seam gas projects after land and groundwater was contaminated by the Linc Energy underground coal gasification disaster.
 

The Greens have slammed the Liberals and Labor for today throwing $217 million in road funding to enable the Beetaloo Basin gas project, saying the funding would worsen the climate crisis and result in a stranded asset as our trading partners abandon gas. 

"The Coalition and NT Labor are in lock step in their plan to light the fuse on the Beetaloo climate bomb,” Acting Greens Leader Nick McKim said. 

"If your plan for the future includes fracking a massive gas mine for 70 years, there's no mincing words - you're a climate denialist.

Despite Federal Government approval for the Santos Narrabri gas field, the community still has two years to stop the project and save Narrabri, Leader of the Australian Greens Adam Bandt MP says.

Santos has until 2022 to decide whether to proceed with the project following an 18 month appraisal phase.

With the project not stacking up economically, environmentally, or against our obligation to stop global warming, the Greens say pressure must be kept on the government and Santos to not proceed.

Quotes attributable to Greens Leader, Adam Bandt:

Today’s federal approval of Santos’ Narrabri gasfields will do untold damage to our ability to keep global warming to 2 degrees, the Australian Greens have said. 

Instead of accepting gas expansion through a flawed planning process, the Greens have called for a green recovery - with public investment in clean energy, renewables, and green hydrogen.

Quotes attributable to Greens Leader, Adam Bandt:

Greens Leader, Adam Bandt, has responded to Labor’s reported capitulation to the Liberals on coal and gas by saying that with both parties agreeing on increasing new coal and gas exports and Labor having dropped any short-term emissions target, there is currently no difference between the parties on reining in the biggest sources of climate pollution.

“Labor has just agreed with the Liberals on coal and gas,” said Greens Leader, Adam Bandt.

“In a climate emergency, you don’t expand coal and gas developments.

Greens Leader Adam Bandt and NSW Senator Mehreen Faruqi say the approval of the Narrabri Gas project is the first domino to fall in the Morrison Government’s gas executive-stacked energy plan, which flies in the face of the climate emergency and basic market economics.

The Narrabri Gas project is a climate disaster and it has just been approved, against the will of local farmers and the Gamilaraay Traditional custodians. 

Greens Leader Adam Bandt said:

“Scott Morrison and his gas cartel have just lit the fuse on a giant climate bomb.”

This Saturday's Northern Territory election has the potential to make history by electing a strong, independent Greens voice to Parliament, Greens Leader Adam Bandt MP has said, urging voters to put the Greens at the top of the ballot paper.

The Northern Territory Greens have run their biggest campaign yet, running nine candidates in an election that has hit boiling point over concerns about fracking.

The Greens have responded to Labor’s official endorsement (through its Shadow Resources Minister, Joel Fitzgibbon) of the Liberals’ plan to subsidise gas, saying the establishment parties were robbing the public purse to make the climate emergency worse.

"Labor shouldn't be warming to a Liberal plan that will dangerously heat our planet," Mr Bandt said.

“By backing the Liberals’ gas-led recovery, Labor is giving up on the Paris Agreement.