Will Australia miss the chance for a Green Recovery?
On the 11th August 2020 the head of the Australian National COVID Commission Advisory Board, Nev Power, appeared before a Senate Select Committee examining how Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s government has handled the COVID crisis.
The economic packages being drawn up by governments worldwide have an opportunity to emphasise climate change mitigation and will lock-in spending on energy projects for many years. In Australia, the second highest per-capita producer of CO2 behind Saudi Arabia, the effects of climate change have been particularly dramatic during the recent wildfires, which were made 30% more likely by climate change and destroyed 2,800 homes and killed 3bn animals.
Despite this, the Australian government may be about to miss a golden opportunity to reduce emissions. Nev Power has said his organisation is not recommending “a green recovery per se”.
As the Australian Guardian reported:
“Appearing before the Senate committee examining the government’s management of Covid-19 on Tuesday, Nev Power confirmed the commission had asked the government to underwrite new investment in gas pipelines as part of recommendations from a manufacturing taskforce.
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Asked whether he had been approached by business leaders urging the government to use the economic recovery from Covid-19 as an opportunity to lock in renewables, Power acknowledged there had been representations. Power said he did not oppose a green recovery but the definition of recovery needed further discussion.
When pressed on renewables, Power said the commission had not “looked at energy in that context” – even though the manufacturing taskforce has evidently made specific recommendations about government underwriting of pipelines to improve the viability of gas to power heavy industry.
Power suggested renewable projects were looking for “substantial government support”. While the commission is also clearly recommending regulatory changes to boost the supply and transmission of gas to the domestic market, when asked about renewables, he said it was not the role of the commission to “recommend specific projects”.
In May 2020 Nev Power stepped back from his role on the board of Strike Energy, an Australian Oil & Gas exploration company, due to an apparent conflict of interest.
It is striking that even after the devastating wildfires of 2019-20 there seems to be a lack of national debate in Australia about the benefits of a green recovery, when compared to the discussions and proposals in Europe and even the USA. If Australia were to miss this chance to provide a boost to renewable energy and cut emissions, and instead lock-in funding for oil & gas development, it would be a wasted opportunity for the country to change course, and would do nothing to prevent more devastation to the country’s natural environment in the future.