The New South Wales government is facing criticism over a review of how to cut emissions from coalmines that claims the goal of limiting global heating to well below 2C will not be met – a position at odds with the state’s laws and policies.
Climate campaigners and scientists said the assertion in the report, prepared for the planning department, is inconsistent with state legislation that commits to pursuing efforts to limit temperature increases to 1.5C.
In 2016 NSW formally committed to the landmark Paris climate agreement and to take action “consistent with the level of effort to achieve Australia’s commitments to it. The agreement’s temperature goals agreement were adopted when the state parliament passed climate laws in November.
The report, prepared by the consultancy Katestone, is a checklist for the best methods to reduce emissions from existing coalmines, including the management of fugitive methane emissions.
Its introduction states: “It is generally accepted that the original Paris treaty goal of keeping mean global temperature change at or below 2.0C (and preferably 1.5C) compared to preindustrial levels (1800s) will not be met.”
Science agencies have said the world was not on track to limit heating to 2C but not that the goal cannot be met.
The head of research and investigations at the environment group Lock the Gate, Georgina Woods, said the report was “fatally compromised” as it “starts by discarding the climate change goals the NSW government is legally bound to achieve”.
“The NSW government is not going to take the actions needed to achieve this crucial goal of keeping global warming to 1.5C if the advice it relies on is not seriously pursuing that goal and doesn’t come to grips with the urgent actions necessary to keep it alive,” she said.
Lock the Gate obtained the report under NSW government information public access laws. It was finalised in May last year, before the passage of the Minns government’s climate laws.
The chief executive of the science and policy institute Climate Analytics, Bill Hare, said to argue that the 1.5C heating goal would not be met, let alone the 2C, was a “self-interested and self-reinforcing prophecy”.
“Of course, if we don’t take sufficient action and continue to approve new coalmines and gas fields then there is no way of limiting warming to 1.5C, 2C or even 3C,” he said.
The NSW Greens environment spokesperson, Sue Higginson, said it was “jaw-dropping” that a report described as a “best-practice checklist” for cutting emissions from coalmines said it was generally accepted that the 2C goal would not be met.
“What confidence can we have that we are doing all we can, and what we are legally obliged to be doing to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, if the advice government is commissioning starts with the wrong premise?”
The state climate change minister, Penny Sharpe, was approached for comment.
Lock the Gate and the Australian Conservation Foundation said the report’s advice about what coalmining companies should do to reduce emissions of methane – a particularly potent greenhouse gas – was inadequate.
“Much of Australia’s methane pollution comes from coalmines in New South Wales and Queensland, so it’s a serious concern that this advice does not adequately address the urgent task of cutting methane emissions,” said Piper Rollins, a methane campaigner for ACF.
A spokesperson for the planning department said the checklist was used internally “in reviewing air quality and greenhouse gas management plans” that coal companies submitted for approval.
“Coalmine projects considered by the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure undergo rigorous assessment to implement measures to minimise greenhouse gas emissions,” they said.
“The review checklist provides further rigour in the department’s review of these management plans.”
The spokesperson said the document was not used in the assessment of new mines. They said in assessing mines the department relied on other guidelines and policies, including from the state’s Environment Protection Authority.
They said the planning minister, Paul Scully, had written to the NSW Independent Planning Commission to note the state’s legislated net zero commitments and the EPA’s draft greenhouse assessment guide for large emitters.
