Barnaby Joyce isn’t happy about the Electricity Infrastructure Investment Bill passing through New South Wales Parliament’s upper house – and a bunch of other energy related stuff.
The Bill sets the framework for renewable energy zones in the state, which NSW Energy Minister Matt Kean says will facilitate private investment in 12 GW of new renewable energy generation capacity and 2 GW of energy storage by 2030.
“Today we saw politicians from all different parties work together to put the community interest ahead of vested interests,” tweeted Minister Kean on Tuesday evening. “As a result NSW will now lead the Nation and become an energy and economic superpower.”
Barnaby’s Reaction
During a visit to Centennial Coal’s Mandalong Mine near Lake Macquarie in New South Wales, Mr. Joyce let fly in interview with Sky News. Cranky about the Bill, which he says is a carbon tax, he also had this to say about fossil fuels:
“You’ve got to devise whether you want to talk about economically dreamy or economic reality,” Mr Joyce said. “And the economic reality of Australia is our largest export is fossil fuels, if you want to lose that you’ve got to be prepared to take a cut down the future for your children’s health, your children’s education, your grandchildren’s education.
It’s great Barnaby is thinking about the health of children and hopefully that concern also extends to kids overseas.
Fossil Fuels And Children’s Health
Just a few of the impacts of air pollution from fossil fuels on the very young:
- Increased infant mortality
- Low birth weight
- Allergies
- Asthma
- Neurodevelopmental Disorders
- Cancer
Let’s add some of the impacts of climate change on kids (and everyone), driven by fossil fuel emissions.
- Malnutrition
- Infectious disease
- Physical trauma
- Poor mental health
- Heat related illness
.. and the two interact to heighten risks. You can read more about the threats from fossil fuels to children’s health in this paper by Frederica Perera, professor of Environmental Health Sciences and director of the Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health.
Surely Australia can do better than relying so heavily on extracting toxic crap to ship overseas to power transport, generate electricity and manufacture goods. Some of those goods we then ship back here – and quite happily consume without thinking of the impact it is having in the country of manufacture (and ultimately, here).
The Electricity Infrastructure Investment Bill is another step towards perhaps having better manufacturing capability within our own borders – but to do it in a more environmentally friendly manner while also boosting the economy. And if Australia wants to export energy, that could be doable too with renewables.
While some coal fired plants are still being built around the world and internal combustion engines will be with us for a while, the writing is on the wall and Australia really needs to get with the program at a Federal level.
Barnaby Joyce is a passionate guy and an interesting fellow. He truly believes in a bright (smoggy?) future for fossil fuels, so much so that it prevents any other information to the contrary from being carefully considered. Such is his appreciation of coal, he was among those gleefully fondling a lacquered lump of the problematic little black rock Scott Morrison brought into Parliament in 2017.
Mr. Joyce has also had some interesting things to say in the past about wind power, and who could forget his 2019 Xmas message referencing climate change.
If you want to catch the whole Sky News interview with Barnaby Joyce, you can do so here.
About Michael Bloch
RSS - Posts
The post includes:
“Barnaby Joyce is a passionate guy and an interesting fellow. He truly believes in a bright (smoggy?) future for fossil fuels, so much so that it prevents any other information to the contrary from being carefully considered.”
I think Barnaby Joyce has “turned this issue of physics into an issue of values or identity”, in the same manner that NewsCorp has done, as former PM Malcolm Turnbull said, who clashed with The Australian’s Editor-at-Large Paul Kelly over climate science on ABC Q&A on Nov 9.
See: https://twitter.com/QandA/status/1325955850863747072
The Laws of Physics don’t ‘care’ what anyone’s politics and ideologies are, or the wishes of political donors that sponsor politicians.
The latest climate science indicates if humanity cannot rapidly reduce our human-induced GHG emissions from NOW on – NOT next decade, or by 2050 – then human civilisation as we know it is at grave risk of ceasing to exist later this century. What we/humanity do/does (or not do) in the next few years is likely to decide human civilisation’s fate.
See my comments at: https://www.solarquotes.com.au/blog/biden-climate-renewable-energy-mb1753/#comment-865667
(From the articel): “If you want to catch the whole Sky News interview with Barnaby Joyce, you can do so here.”
I think I’ll give it a miss…
I’m with you. That would be a waste of valuable time I would never get back.
Ditto, I have Walnuts out the back that are nearly golf ball size, I think watching them grow does less damage.
Barnaby Joyce, Sky News and Murdoch. What else needs to be said.
Anybody who recently watched Alan Jones attacking Joe Biden’s win on Sky would realise this bunch of conspirators are like minded trolls working for an organisation which is intent on getting rid of anybody who does not support the right and its wealthy followers.
Their message is Fossil fuels forever. The fate of the planet and mankind has no place in this model and money is all that matters. They’re a perverse group of human beings who have no empathy for anybody other than themselves.
“You’ve got to devise whether you want to talk about economically dreamy or economic reality,” said Barnaby Joyce.
Meanwhile, Centennial Coal formally withdrew its development application with the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (DPIE) for the “Airly Mine MOD 3 – Production Rate, Workforce and Train Movement Increases” late last year.
https://www.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/major-projects/project/25101
And apparently last week, Centennial Coal formally withdrew its development application with the NSW DPIE for the “Angus Place Extension Project”. The DPIE updated the project webpage last Thursday (Jul 29) morning.
https://www.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/major-projects/project/12641
At the SMH, Peter Hannam reported yesterday (Oct 2) afternoon in the article headlined “‘Victory for nature’: Coal miner cuts plan in Blue Mountains”, that included:
“Centennial, owned by Thailand-based Banpu group, has submitted a new proposal for its Angus Place coal mine that has been mothballed since 2014. Instead of extracting about 135 million tonnes of the fossil fuel out to 2053, the revised Angus Place West project would dig up 12 million tonnes of coal over an eight-year period.”
https://www.smh.com.au/environment/conservation/victory-for-nature-coal-miner-cuts-plan-in-blue-mountains-20210802-p58f46.html
It seems to me that Centennial Coal is apparently acting on the economic reality that coal is on the way out.
Centennial Coal’s Clarence Mine, has a development consent (for 3.0 Mt/y maximum ROM) that expires at the end of 2026.
Airly Mine’s current permissible production capacity (1.8 Mt/y maximum ROM) until 31 Jan 2037, on its own, is inadequate to fulfil the 1430 MW capacity Mt Piper Power Station’s (MPPS’s) operational needs (reportedly supplying more than 10 per cent of NSW’s electricity).
Interesting to see how EnergyAustralia responds to Centennial Coal’s latest proposal, concerning the maintenance of ongoing adequate coal supplies for MPPS, when nearby Springvale Mine that currently supplies MPPS, exhausts its coal reserves, reportedly by around 2024.
Oops, NOT “yesterday (Oct 2)” – I meant yesterday (Aug 2).
Centennial Coal’s press release titled “Angus Place West A New Proposed Project”, dated 30 Jul 2021, includes:
“The proposed Angus Place West (APW) project will produce up to 2 million tonnes per annum, for up 8 years and will be supported by a workforce of up to 200 employees.”
https://www.centennialcoal.com.au/angus-place-west-a-new-proposed-project/
So where does Mt Piper Power Station (MPPS) get its adequate coal supply from after APW expires (around 2030)?
I suspect there may be some interesting discussions now happening at EnergyAustralia on the longer-term future of MPPS.