Greens Welcome Coal Debate

The Greens welcome the debate on the future of coal in the lead up to the state election and call on Premier Iemma and Opposition Leader Debnam to participate.

Planning for an orderly phase out of coal mining and coal fired power stations will boost total employment and create a boyant economy based on the development of a renewable energy industry, according to Greens NSW Upper House candidate John Kaye.

Dr Kaye said: "Despite the unhelpful misrepresentation of Senator Bob Brown comments in today's Telegraph, The Greens position is to stop new coal projects and to start planning now for a post-coal future. This is not a phase out in three year as alleged in the Telegraph but a three year deadline to have a plan in place for a phase out."

"We have always argued that a key component of that plan must be to create high levels of new employment in communities that are currently affected by coal mining."

"This is not hard to achieve if the phase out of coal mining and export is accompanied by the development of a renewable energy industry."

"Approximately 40% of Australia's greenhouse gas emissions come directly from the combustion of coal and from methane that escapes during coal mining."

"Australia's coal exports result in more global warming than all in-country emissions."

"Any plan to address greenhouse gas emissions in Australia is meaningless unless it looks beyond the coal industry and focuses on developing an economy based on manufacturing and exporting renewable energy."

"Clean coal is a convenient untruth. Even by the most optimistic forecasts it will take at least ten years for carbon capture and storage technology to be available for wide spread implementation. The IPCC and the Stern report both made it clear that emissions must be reduced now, not in ten years, if the world is to avoid a very high price."

"The renewable energy industry offers a larger and more resilient source of jobs. Each unit of energy generated by wind creates four times more jobs than coal."

"A planned transition to renewable energy would swamp the number of jobs lost in a phase out of the coal industry and would address high levels of youth unemployment in many parts of NSW."

"Strong government policy is required as markets alone will not deliver these outcomes," Dr Kaye said