Media

Tim Buckley from Climate Energy Finance outlines growing urgency for Australia to take decisive action on climate change, highlighting stark risks for the economy and society if current trends continue. Buckley points to the Federal Government’s National Climate Risk Assessment, describing it as a clear signal of the significant economic consequences for Australia if climate science is not appropriately addressed. He calls for a government-wide approach to reforming Australia’s economy and exports, with an emphasis on pivoting the country’s leading mining sector towards value-added products that can support the decarbonisation of major trade partners. Read more

The WA Environment Protection Authority said South Korean company POSCO’s plan to use the potent greenhouse gas methane to make green iron was justified because it would reduce global emissions compared to a scenario where the same iron ore was sent to Asia to be cooked with coking coal in a blast furnace. The decision to take a “global” view of project emissions was welcomed by decarbonisation advocates. Read more

CEF’s new report on Diesel Fuel Rebate subsidy reform “Transition Tax Incentive: Reforming Fuel Tax Credits into a Decarbonisation Tailwind”. A policy proposal to phase-out the fuel tax credit scheme for its largest beneficiaries with a transition tax incentive scheme to accelerate electrification and decarbonisation. Since the Fuel Tax Act 2006 (starting FY07), the FTC Scheme has provided $123bn in diesel subsidies to FY25. Beyond this, by FY30, it will have provided $184bn in subsidies. Read more

Australia is fossil fuel dependent – supplying half the globes’ iron ore, and nearly as much coking coal. In a world that’s looking to get away from fossil fuels, this is a problem. What can Australia do to maintain its mineral wealth and meet emissions targets? Rear Vision drills down into our coal and iron-ore industries. And asks, can Green Iron save us? Read more

Stiell’s comments come as Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce and One Nation’s Pauline Hanson push a private member’s bill to scrap Australia’s 2050 net zero target, exposing divisions within the Coalition. Meanwhile, the Albanese government is preparing to set its 2035 target next year, due in September, a decision widely viewed as a test of whether Australia intends to match the pace of global decarbonisation or remain tethered to its fossil fuel export model. Tim Buckley, founder of Climate Energy Finance, said the 2035 target represents Australia’s chance to align with the global clean energy transition and secure long-term economic and geopolitical benefits. Read more

China has already moved to reduce its dependence on Australian iron ore via a joint venture in Guinea to unlock a vast new high-grade deposit. In the context of these shifting trade dynamics, failure to position Australia now in the green steel supply chain with China is an opportunity cost that threatens to blow a +$50bn annual hole in Australian exports. In the face of these enormous opportunities and risks, it was highly significant this week to hear the PM and Australian iron ore business leaders reaffirm their commitment to working in partnership with China to jointly drive steel sector decarbonisation. Read more

Tim Buckley from Climate Energy Finance highlights the major opportunity for Australia and China to collaborate on green steel production, describing the sector as one of the world’s most carbon-intensive industries. Buckley outlines that conventional steelmaking generates over two tonnes of carbon emissions per tonne of steel but sees significant emission reduction potential—up to 95%—by using renewable energy and modern technologies in place of coking and thermal coal. He points to South Korea’s recent $600 million investment in a steel plant set to achieve substantial emissions cuts as indicative of global momentum. Read more

The Prime Minister has spent much of the day trying to guarantee the future of Australia’s critically important exports to China’s steel industry, wrapping up a high-level roundtable on green steel in Shanghai. Australian coal and iron ore exports have fuelled China’s construction boom and underwritten Australian prosperity for years, pouring hundreds of billions of dollars into the budget. But as China’s steel industry moves to decarbonise — as well as diversifying its imports and winding down production — Australia’s long resources boom faces an uncertain future. Read more

The projected deflation of Australia’s export earnings is a lens to threats to our future economic resilience and security, while our key trading partners accelerate their economic decarbonisation and deliver on their Paris Agreement commitments. It is a stark reminder of the need to increase our economic complexity, to diversify from fossil fuels, which face inevitable structural decline, and to prioritise value adding our resources. The projections underscore the strategic importance, for example, to pivot to green iron production rather than shipping rocks of ore. Read more

As Energy Minister Bowen flags a carbon tariff on some imports, Australia well placed to lead development of a path towards a regional Asian Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism Read more

Australia is well placed to lead development of a path towards a regional Asian Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism involving China, Australia, Japan, Singapore and South Korea, as it bids to host COP31. China, as the world leader in decarbonisation and in steel, aluminum and cement, is key. Read more

The answer is increasingly clear. Australia’s largest economic opportunity lies in transforming from a conventional commodity exporter into a global supplier of clean commodities like green iron, sustainable aviation fuel, green aluminium, and clean ammonia. This opportunity is well documented. Reports from The Superpower Institute, Climate Energy Finance, and others make the case for investment in value-added clean exports that align with global demand and climate trajectories. Read more