MEDIA COMMENT Feb 27, 2020 Commenting on Rio Tinto’s announcement that it has set a target of net zero emissions from its operations by 2050, Lucy Manne, CEO of 350 Australia said: “Companies like Rio Tinto should put their money where their mouth is, and cancel their membership of coal lobby groups that have undermined climate action for more than 20 years.

For too long, the Minerals Council and other industry lobby groups have held politicians hostage so they could continue to hoard wealth and profit from climate breakdown The Minerals Council is funded by member companies who collectively pay millions in membership fees to fund its work. To do that, there’s three parts to the campaign: 1. 

Returning to the hamlet of Bendalong on the NSW south coast last weekend, only one month after fire ripped through the region, was devastating. The 13km deathly quiet drive through the Conjola National Park from the Princes Highway was like driving through a climate change Armageddon. Virtually everything is gone. The charred landscape is spiked with burnt matchstick trees and the once lush green undergrowth is nothing more than ash.

Local MP and senior NSW minister Andrew Constance has asked for no big P politics while the South Coast continues to battle devastating bushfires. Ignoring his plea, the NSW government has just made a deal with Prime Minister Scott Morrison to make climate change worse. The two governments plan to subsidise gas generation of electricity and open a huge new gas fracking field in Narrabri in north western NSW, while pretending this will bring down emissions.