Digging up the reserves of lignite in Southland can only increase global greenhouse gas emissions, said the Green Party today.
Don Elder, CEO of state-owned Solid Energy, told their annual conference yesterday that mining the low grade coal lignite would reduce global emissions.
Green Party spokesperson on energy, Dr Kennedy Graham responded that the claim was simply illogical.
"Burning coal results in greenhouse gas emissions, which contribute to dangerous climate change," said Dr Graham.
"There is no such thing as 'clean' coal or 'climate-friendly' coal extraction methods.
"Dr Elder's argument appears to be that if we don't dig up and export the coal, someone else will do so with dirtier technology. But that is a fallacy that incorrectly assumes a fixed demand for coal," said Dr Graham.
"The more coal on the market, the cheaper it will be, and the more that will be used. There will be no incentive to switch to cleaner alternatives.
"We can only be responsible for our actions and their contribution to climate change. And we know that if we dig up the lignite we will be that much closer to dangerous run-away climate change.
"New Zealand cannot afford the risk to human well-being, nor the damage to the economy, that mining this low grade coal will result in," said Dr Graham.
Dr Graham said that if all of the recoverable coal reserves in Southland were extracted, the greenhouse gas emissions would be equivalent to 150-200 years of New Zealand's current total annual emissions, which were already well above our Kyoto agreement.
"The taxpayer subsidy for the emissions of just one plant proposed by Solid Energy has been estimated to be between $500m to $1billion for the first 20 years.
"How could it be good for our economy to subsidise dirty coal that will make climate change worse?
"Real economic prosperity will be created by smart, green energy solutions. New Zealand has so many opportunities for renewable energy and clean tech. That is the future," said Dr Graham.
"John Key's Government needs to observe a moratorium on all new coal extraction and leave it in the ground.
