Green groups criticise ‘ludicrous’ Minerals Council of Australia ad which claims coal creates ‘light and jobs’ and ‘can now reduce its emissions by up to 40%’

Australia’s mining industry has launched a new ode to coal in the form of a major advertising campaign that hails the mineral’s ability to “create light and jobs”, as well as claiming that new technology will drastically slash its emissions.



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The campaign, called Little Black Rock, has been launched by the Minerals Council of Australia. An eye-catching TV ad shows an extreme closeup of the contours of a lump of coal, as if it were the surface of a rugged, distant planet.

A voiceover explains the “endless possibilities” of coal, claiming the coalmining industry provides $40bn a year to Australia’s economy. It adds that coal “can now reduce its emissions by up to 40%. It’s coal. Isn’t it amazing what this little black rock can do?”

The Minerals Council said the campaign, which will also include newspaper and radio ads, highlights the “indispensable role” played by Australia’s coal industry in providing cheap electricity, steel and jobs. The lobbying body said it was committed to an “informative and rational discussion” about coal.

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But environmental groups have criticised the ads as a “ludicrous” and “desperate” attempt to bolster coal in the face of the falling cost of renewable energy alternatives and looming international action to limit greenhouse gas emissions.

A spokesman for the Minerals Council said the ads weren’t in reaction to attempts by environmentalists to halt huge new mines in Queensland and New South Wales – action the Coalition has branded “lawfare” and is looking to curb through legislation.

“This has been in train for some time,” he said. “It’s fair to say there are a few misconceptions out there the industry wants to tackle. This is aimed at the general public but we obviously want the politicians to take notice of it.”

The campaign claims that low-emission coal-fired power plants and carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology is “now a reality” and are slashing emissions.

However, there is only one CCS-enabled plant operational in the world, in Canada. In Australia, there is just one CCS project aimed at coal emissions in the pipeline, which may arrive at some point in the 2020s.

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This means there are no firm plans for CCS-enabled replacements for Australia’s ageing coal-fired plants. The government has cut half a billion dollars from research into CCS, a technology that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said must apply to all remaining coal power worldwide by 2100 if dangerous climate change is to be avoided.

“This is a ludicrous ad,” said Kelly O’Shanassy, chief executive of the Australian Conservation Foundation. “Coal is a dangerous little black rock. Every climate scientist and almost every politician in the world knows that coal is very polluting and very dangerous. The only people who don’t get that are the Minerals Council and our government.

“I’m glad that the Minerals Council has woken up to the 18th century potential of coal. I can’t wait until they see the 21st century potential of renewable energy.”

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The mining industry is currently struggling with a depressed coal price as well as increasing pressure from climate activists. The divestment movement is also gaining traction in Australia, with Newcastle city council, home of the world’s largest coal port, deciding to drop its fossil fuel investments in August.

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Last week, Nasa forecast that sea level rises of one metre and more is unavoidable over the next century on current high greenhouse gas emissions. This would swamp major cities such as Singapore and Toyko, while some Pacific nations could completely disappear.

About 76% of Australia’s electrity is supplied by brown and black coal. A major analysis of known global coal reserves by University College London in January found that 82% must remain unburned if the world is to avoid runaway climate change.

Tony Abbott has said that coal is “good for humanity” in terms of jobs in Australia and energy supplies overseas. The Minerals Council said that 150,000 direct and indirect jobs in Australia are reliant on coal – a figure disputed by the Australia Institute.

“We’ve got climate talks coming up in Paris and the steamroller effect of action happening globally, with companies and governments moving away from coal, is scary for the coal industry,” said Blair Palese, of climate campaign group 350.org.

“This desperate ad is a figment of the Mineral Council’s imagination and cannot stand up to the reality of renewables cutting into the market with very little support. People will see through this but sadly there is no transition plan to renewables in Australia.”