Antinuclear

Australia can have zero emissions and still profit from minerals, says Ross Garnaut, ABC NEWS BREAKFAST BY PATRICK WOOD 13 Jan 2020 Australia could have avoided the scale of the devastating bushfires, Professor Ross Garnaut has said as he warned the situation would continue to worsen if there wasn’t global action on climate change, something he said didn’t have to come at the expense of the economy.Key points:

• Professor Ross Garnaut has backed Scott Morrison’s plan to protect the economy
• He outlined how Australia could still profit from minerals in a zero-emissions world
• Professor Garnaut says carbon pricing is a “cheaper, faster” way to reduce emissions

The economist said he “strongly endorsed” Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s focus on reducing emissions without damaging the economy, and believed Australian industries could still reap the benefits of the country’s mineral resources in a zero-emissions world.

As this bushfire season has claimed lives and thousands of homes, Professor Garnaut has become a focus on the debate around climate change and the Government’s response.That is because in 2008 he conducted a widescale review into the impact of climate change on Australia and its economy, and came to a conclusion: the nation would face a more frequent and intense fire season by 2020.

Professor Garnaut said the bushfire crisis could have been avoided if Australia, as part of a global effort, had “done a lot more much earlier”.

“The tragedy has been building over a long time,” he said.

“Things will continue to get worse … until the world has zero net emissions of greenhouse gases.”

In this zero-emissions world, Professor Garnaut argued Australia could be a world leader by processing its minerals locally using renewable energy.

“I think the point about avoiding cuts to the economy is a sound one,” he said in response to the Prime Minister’s interview.

The way you make aluminium in a zero-emissions world economy is to use renewable energy to turn bauxite and aluminium oxide into aluminium metal.

“Australia is by far the biggest exporter of aluminium ores and iron ores, [and] when the world is producing aluminium and iron without emissions, we’ll be the place that’s done. So it will be positive for the economy.

“So I strongly endorse the Prime Minister’s focus on getting to zero emissions without damaging our economy. It can do us a lot of good.”