Gas is Dirty Too - Not "Green"!

We can't allow climate change language to be hijacked.

Gas energy is fossil fuel energy and nothing in the world can change that fact. It is fascinating to note the subtle but powerful change how a deviously chosen word turns black into white. - Superadmin

I refer to recent articles in the Advertiser suggesting a lot of residents in the Parramatta LGA would love to change from dirty coal fired electricity to "green" gas energy. This is understandable on a cost basis, but sadly gas is neither clean nor renewable!

Recent peer reviewed research suggests when allowing for fugitive emissions during extraction, that gas could be more environmentally damaging than coal!  There appears to be no evidence that Australian coal seam gas is any better than the shale seam gas examined in the research paper.

If we were really serious to do what the science says is necessary to avoid runaway damaging climate change, we would be reducing our CO² emissions by 40% by 2020 like Germany and the UK, not our current low 5% target. To do this we need to move much more quickly towards 100% renewable electricity.

This requires us to quickly increase the price of CO² much higher than $23 per tonne, which will only encourage much more investment in dirty non-renewable gas, like that already in the rich agricultural lands of the Liverpools Plains, at Campbelltown and even in inner city St Peters. The drill bore at St Peters lies just 500 metres from the 60 students and staff of St Peters Public School.

Is this what we want all over NSW and possibly near us in Parramatta? I hope not! I think most people would much rather have clean renewable solar and wind energy for a safe climate!
Regards - Phil Bradley