Diggers & Dealers: Is Australia’s 2050 net zero target achievable?
In a first, the usually mining centric Diggers & Dealers Forum became a very public industry debate on Australia’s net zero policy earlier this month. Keynote panellists Aidan Morrison, Director of Energy Research at the Centre for Independent Studies, and Dr Chris Keefer, a Canadian nuclear energy advocate, engaged primarily on political complexities, local capacity, infrastructure investment needs and timeframe barriers.
Morrison said, “There is no serious intellectual defence for the prospect we’d meet net zero targets in 2050… It is simply impossible, even if we had the right investment.”
He argued that the transition to a fully renewable grid is being artificially sustained.
“Forcibly intubated and resuscitated by government subsidies,” Morrison said, comparing it to resuscitated zombies coming to life.
Keefer added that countries like Australia and Canada are caught in a geopolitical energy battle between China and the United States.
“The levers of emissions reduction are not really in the hands of countries like Canada and Australia anymore,” he said.
In response to the panel, Federal Resources Minister Madeleine King said, “I don’t mind people having an opinion, I don’t share that opinion.
My opinion is that we should strive for net zero by 2050.”
Despite the criticism, Bellevue Gold announced Australia’s first net zero gold mine at the forum.
Darren Stralow, Managing Director of Bellevue Gold, shared, “We’ve increased renewables, decreased greenhouse gases and looked for
opportunities throughout the mining cycle to reduce carbon from what we do.”
The mine, located north of Leinster, is forecast to be powered by 80–90% renewable energy, the highest percentage in the country.
The forum made clear that while opinions differ, progress in renewables in the industry, and the conversation around Australia’s energy future, is ongoing.