UN barking up the wrong tree with call to exit coal, says Keith Pitt

Resources Minister Keith Pitt has rejected a request from the UN for Australia to exit the coal sector by 2030.

Resources Minister Keith Pitt. Picture: Martin Ollman

Resources Minister Keith Pitt has rejected a request from the UN for Australia to exit the coal sector by 2030.

Mr Pitt said coal was keeping the lights on in Australia and “a number of other countries in the world”.

“Fortunately, the UN don’t run the country of Australia. Australia is governed by the government of the day, elected by the Australian people,” Mr Pitt said.

“We remain committed to the resources sector. Coal demand is increasing and prices are up. That is good for jobs and good for our economy.

“They (the UN) might want to talk to China, the US, India and others. Even the EU, almost 70 per cent of their energy demand is met by coal, oil or gas.

“They are barking up the wrong tree.”

In a speech on Monday to the ANU’s 2021 Crawford Leadership Forum, UN assistant secretary-general Selwin Hart said the goal to keep future warming below 1.5C within reach required “the urgent global phase-out of coal”.

He said developed nations needed to phase out coal by 2030 “and 2040 for all others”.

Mr Hart also urged Australia to increase its target to reduce emissions by 26-28 per cent of 2005 levels by 2030.

Opposition resources spokeswoman Madeleine King said Australia should go to the UN climate conference in Glasgow in November with a higher 2030 emissions target.

However, Ms King said it should be “up to Australians how we reach (the climate targets), not the UN”.

“The fact is that if all the coalmines closed tomorrow, Australia would have a catastrophic energy shortage, and would be selling our trusted trading partners short on their energy needs,” she said.

“The Liberals’ failure of leadership in relation to energy policy over eight years has led to rising energy costs for consumers and an increasingly uncertain investment environment.”

Hunter MP Joel Fitzgibbon said the UN delivered a “well-­deserved … criticism of our Prime Minister on his home turf”.

“Australia should commit to net-zero emissions but we must also remain fiercely independent and sensible about how we achieve it,” Mr Fitzgibbon said.

“We’ll need to embrace low emissions technologies and we’ll need to keep operating our ­younger coal generators beyond 2030 to allow more renewable ­energy into the electricity system while keeping the grid stable.

“If we can build a domestic consensus on the need for a sensible and balanced approach, it will provide an opportunity to be more ambitious on our medium-term target too.”

Greens leader Adam Bandt said the party would introduce a private member’s bill to parliament to phase out coal by 2030.

“Delay is the new denial,” Mr Bandt said.

“Australia must phase out coal by 2030, because by 2050 it will be too late.”