Adam Bandt MP, Greens Federal Parliamentary Leader, Media Release, 3 November 2021

The Greens have slammed the PM’s refusal to sign the EU and US global methane pledge, after it was announced this morning that over 100 countries have now become signatories.

It is appalling that Labor is also refusing to back the pledge.

The pledge commits to reducing global methane emissions by 30% on 2020 levels by 2030 and would significantly reduce warming.

Continuing to run a protection racket for coal and gas projects and their methane emissions, Scott Morrison, Barnaby Joyce and Labor have collaborated to frame methane emission reduction as an attack on agriculture, despite the numbers indicating we could meet the 30% reduction by acting on coal and gas emissions by 2030 and without touching a single cow. Further, the final wording of the pledge does not even require each country to cut by 30%.

The fastest growing source of Australia’s emissions is the gas industry.

Meat and Livestock Australia, the peak body for the cattle industry, has already committed to net-zero by 2030 and agriculture emissions are already declining.

With the world’s first (Brazil) and third (United States) largest beef exporters now both signatories to the pledge, it is clear Australia’s recalcitrance has nothing to do with the cattle industry and everything to do with the coal and gas corporations’ donations to Liberal and Labor.

Quotes attributable to Australian Greens Leader Adam Bandt MP:

“The world knows that the quickest way to help stop global warming is to cut methane, but Liberal and Labor want more coal and gas.”

“Scott Morrison and Barnaby Joyce have whipped up a fact-free frenzy about farmers, pretending this pledge would somehow hurt agriculture. But this isn’t about protecting farmers, it’s about protecting fracking.”

“Australia could join the rest of the world and sign this methane pledge without touching a single cow.”

“Our leaders are lying to farmers, just like they lie to coal and gas workers, just like they lie in diplomatic relations. This isn’t leadership, it’s a failure of leadership.”

“Farmers are at risk from more severe droughts because Liberal and Labor are taking donations from big coal and gas corporations, choosing coal over crops.”