Just as those in the world of Harry Potter refused to utter Lord Voldemort’s name for fear of their lives, the gas industry appears equally frightened of using the words ‘coal seam gas’ for fear it might hurt its profits.
But just as calling Voldemort ‘He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named’ didn’t make him disappear, calling coal seam gas (CSG) something else doesn’t make it any less of a concern for the community.
Related documents
Between the Lines Newsletter
The biggest stories and the best analysis from the team at the Australia Institute, delivered to your inbox every fortnight.
You might also like
Should Australia ban fossil fuel advertising?
A tobacco-style ban on fossil fuel advertising would be a decisive win for Australia – and the climate.
Fossil fuel subsidies
When governments subsidise fossil fuels—coal, gas, diesel, petrol—they not only waste public money, they also make climate change worse. Subsidies and tax breaks make fossil fuels cheaper, making it harder to switch to renewable energy and cleaner technologies. Ending fossil fuel subsidies is common sense and good policy.
The mining industry is the biggest whinger in the country
The mining industry is now surely the biggest whinger in the Australian economy. This week it launched an all-out assault on the federal government at Minerals Week in Canberra, with chief executive of the mining industry’s chief lobby group the Minerals Council, Tania Constable, warning the government: “Undermine it at your peril.” Relative to its