Mining billionaire Andrew Forrest has made his fortune entirely by literally shipping large chunks of Australia over to the world’s largest carbon emitter, to be turned into gigatonnes of carbon belched from steel refineries. But he totally cares about “saving the planet” from “catastrophic climate change”, donchaknow.
It’s purely coincidental that his latest planet-saving crusade would deliver even more billions into his coffers, this time courtesy of the Australian taxpayer.
Forrest has been yammering to anyone who’ll listen (and has the keys to the taxpayer till) that “green hydrogen” is the wonder fuel of the future that’ll save the planet. But, um, he needs a few billion taxpayer dollars to fund it.
It’s rare for climate codger Bob Brown to find a taxpayer-funded scheme that he doesn’t like, but even he can see through Forrest’s snake oil.
Andrew Forrest’s claim to be “saving the planet” with green hydrogen has been slapped down by veteran conservationist Bob Brown, who accuses the billionaire of funding projects with “enormous” social and environment impacts. Dr Brown urged the Fortescue Metals Group chairman to contact him to discuss his commitment to hydro-fuelled “green” hydrogen projects in the Congo and Papua New Guinea that would displace thousands of people, tame wild rivers and flood species-rich rainforests.
Oh, come now: Forrest absolutely cares about poor, third-world people. He’s even set up an “anti-slavery” initiative… while trading with the world’s largest slave-owning country. See? His commitment to ending slavery is as sincere as his commitment to stopping climate change!
The former Greens leader said Dr Forrest needed to “come back down to earth” and address the significant impacts of several of his projects. In particular, the $US80bn Grand Inga Hydroelectric Project in the Congo would be twice the size of China’s Three Gorges hydro scheme and have devastating impacts on ecosystems and communities upstream of the proposed dams, he said.
If there’s one thing the green geriatric really hates, it’s dams. As Tasmanians well know.
Speaking of Tasmania…
While Dr Brown and Dr Forrest have been at one in calling for Tasmania’s salmon industry to shift to on-land production, the iron ore magnate can expect opposition to his plans for a green-hydrogen plant in the conservationist’s home state.
FFI’s 250-megawatt plant at Bell Bay, in the state’s north, would rely on cheap energy, including from a series of large wind farms proposed for the island.
Dr Brown said these were being sited in sensitive places, impacting wedge tailed eagles, migratory birds and Tasmanian devils.
The Australian
Dams, mines, forestry, salmon farms… there’s no industry in this state that this miserable old ghost doesn’t want to shut down.
Still, he’s right enough about wind farms being destructive blights on the landscape.
Even a badly-wound cuckoo clock is right once in a while.
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