Nick McKim MP | Greens Forests spokesperson
The gutting of the Renewable Energy Target (RET) and the inclusion of native forest biomass in the target is an appalling outcome for Tasmania, and in particular will drive ongoing destruction of native forest.
With the collapse of export woodchip markets, this decision plays straight into the hands of Tasmania’s ideologically driven forest destroyers.
The Liberal’s claim that this is about burning ‘residues’ is nothing but spin. The risk is that woodchips and whole logs from our native forests will be burned in industrial scale forest furnaces under the guise of renewable energy.
This decision provides yet another avenue for the subsidisation of the strip-mining of our native forests, and in an age of climate disruption is irresponsible in the extreme. The carbon in our forests should be left safely where it is, rather than being burned and contributing to the disruption of the Earth’s climate.
The reduction in the RET will disadvantage Tasmania by reducing incentives for real renewable energy development which is one of Tasmania’s key competitive advantages.