Australian taxpayers subsidise Big Mining's use of fossil fuel to the tune of $4bn a year. It's a strange way to tackle emissions | Adam Morton

BHP cancelled and delayed climate commitments, leading to additional heat-trapping pollution entering the atmosphere and making Australia’s climate targets harder to reach. The company’s reversal also reduces its potential influence in accelerating technologies needed to cut emissions from major industrial operations. Other major miners have also stepped back from climate action, including Rio Tinto cutting spending on emissions-reduction projects and disbanding a decarbonisation unit. BHP shelved a major solar investment after board approval and delayed a larger solar, wind, and battery development for at least five years. BHP also increased reliance on diesel-powered trucks despite a promise to switch to electric vehicles powered by renewable energy, which internal documents describe as inconsistent with its climate pledges.

"The revelation that BHP cancelled and delayed commitments to act on the climate crisis should be a wake-up call. It matters in its own right: millions of tonnes of additional heat-trapping pollution will go into the atmosphere, adding to climate harm and making Australia's climate targets that much harder to reach. It also matters for the influence the world's biggest miner could have in accelerating use of technology needed to cut pollution from major industrial operations."

"BHP is not alone among its peers in stepping back its climate action. Rio Tinto has slashed spending on projects to reduce emissions and disbanded its specialist decarbonisation unit. Other major corporations have either jumped in fear of Donald Trump or used his rise as an excuse to drop climate commitments. But the scale of BHP's reversal, revealed in documents leaked to the Guardian and the ABC, is significant."

"BHP files: leaked memo shows miner backtracking on key climate projects in Australia video It shelved the first big investment planned under its decarbonisation plan a huge solar farm after it was approved and funded by its board. A much larger solar, wind and battery development that would have run most of its inland operations in northern Western Australia has been delayed for at least five years."

"BHP has also doubled down on using diesel-powered trucks, despite a promise to switch to a fleet of electric vehicles running on renewable energy. Internal documents acknowledge this is inconsistent with its climate pledges. Making promises to cut emissions is the easy part. Designing and spending up on plans to achieve those cuts is a tougher exercise. Inevitably, there will be bumps on that road. But the leaked documents show that is not what has happened here."

Read at www.theguardian.com