Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1697628923967.pdf (Australia)
Submission by the Social Justice Board of the Uniting Church in Western Australia1 Submission on the Senate Inquiry into the Retirement of Coal-Fired Power Stations November 2016 1 The Social Justice Board of the Uniting Church in Western Australia acknowledges the support of the Anglican EcoCare Commission for the Anglican Church, Diocese of Perth in the preparation of this submission.
Retirement of coal fired power stationsSubmission 22 Introduction The Social Justice Board of the Uniting Church in Western Australia welcomes the opportunity to make a submission to the Senate Inquiry into the Retirement of Coal-Fired Power Stations.

The Social Justice Board is keenly aware of the urgent climate action needed to restrict global warming to 1.5°C as agreed to by the Australian Government at the COP21 meeting in Paris last year.
An holistic and significant suite of changes is required if we are to achieve that goal and still maintain a stable Australian economy.

This set of changes must be viewed as an opportunity for new investment and jobs in the renewable energy sector as our aging and polluting fossil fuel based energy infrastructure is decommissioned.

Managing this transition requires a robust national framework, particularly for the workers and communities currently dependent on the fossil fuel industry for employment.
We suggest the creation of an urgent plan for job retraining and redeployment alongside incentives for alternative industry including renewable energy, starting with those communities dependent on existing coal-fired stations.

Urgent climate action is needed The Uniting Church is committed to involvement in the making of just public policy that prioritises the needs of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged in our society.

In 1977, the Inaugural Assembly issued a Statement to the Nation.
In this statement, the Church declared “our response to the Christian gospel will continue to involve us in social and national affairs.” In relation to care for the environment, the statement said: We are concerned with the basic human rights of future generations and will urge the wise use of energy, the protection of the environment and the replenishment of the earth's resources for their use and enjoyment.2 The Uniting Church believes that the natural environment is not merely a resource for the benefit of human beings but has intrinsic value as part of God’s good creation.
The Church’s commitment to the environment arises out of the Christian belief that God, as the Creator of the universe, calls us into a special relationship with the environment – a relationship of mutuality and interdependence which seeks the reconciliation of all creation with God.

We believe that God’s will for the earth is renewal and reconciliation, not destruction by human beings.
The Uniting Church regards human-induced climate change as a most serious threat to the future and integrity of life on earth.

In 2006, the Assembly Standing Committee resolved to adopt the statement ‘For the Sake of the Planet and all Its People: A Uniting Church in Australia Statement on Climate Change’.3 In part, the statement declares: It is increasingly the case that some humans consume the earth’s resources whilst other humans pay the price.
Australia must acknowledge that it has a responsibility to reduce our 2 http://www.unitingjustice.org.au/uniting-church-statements/key-assembly-statements/item/511-statement- to-the-nation 3 http://www.unitingjustice.org.au/environment/uca-statements/item/481-for-the-sake-of-the-planet-and-all- its-people Retirement of coal fired power stationsSubmission 22 reliance on fossil fuels.
As long as we remain prepared to abuse the atmosphere and entire ecosystems for the sake of short-term economic gain for a few, we undermine our own future.

For the Uniting Church, social justice and environmental sustainability are inherently connected to each other and must always take precedence over the desire for increasing profits and the amassing of wealth by a relative few.
As one of the major producers of greenhouse gas emissions per capita, Australia must acknowledge that it has a responsibility to address the social, economic and environmental policies which support our continued reliance on fossil fuels.

In Australia, the energy sector is the largest source of pollution that causes climate change.

Our coal power plants are specifically our single largest contribution to global warming.
We urge the Australian government to honour the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Paris Agreement under it, by retiring our coal-fired power stations and showcasing our engagement and commitment to mitigate climate change.

If we are to limit global warming to below 1.5° C, there is very little carbon budget remaining.
The implications of this are that Australia cannot afford to delay any further and needs to undertake an urgent energy transition away from fossil fuels and towards renewables domestically4.

Increasing global investment in renewable energy also presents a case for the retirement of these stations.
Research suggests that stronger action early on can reduce the total costs in high emission regions, often even if other regions choose not to take early action.5 Research also indicates that strong action in support of reducing emissions would create more jobs than weak action6 and that investing in clean energy creates three times as many jobs as investing in oil and gas.7 It is also expected that strong energy savings initiatives will decrease household costs and reduce the costs of emissions reductions.8 Australia must establish a clear policy and timeframe for transitioning away from a carbonised economy.
The World Bank, OECD and IPCC all warn that the global economy needs to be decarbonised by the end of the century to avoid irreversible and severe climate change impacts, and Australia should contribute to these efforts.

This will involve policy to significantly reduce reliance on large coal power stations, which pose a significant risk to the economy and the environment in Australia.

4 Sivan Kartha, Implications for Australia of a 1.5°C future, Stockholm Environment Institute, Working Paper 2016-09.
5 M. Jakob, G. Luderer, J. Steckel, M. Tavoni, & S. Monjon, ‘Time to act now?

Assessing the costs of delaying climate measure and benefits of early action’, Climatic Change, 114: 1, 2012, pp.
79-99 6 ACF & ACTU, Creating Jobs – Cutting Pollution The roadmap for a cleaner, stronger economy, 2010, p. 4 http://us.popul8.com.au/clients/acf/map/ 7 C Mims ‘Government spending on cleantech generates three times as many jobs as oil and gas’ Grist, 13 June 2011 http://grist.org/list/2011-06-13-government-spending-on-cleantech-generates-3-times-as-many-jobs/ 8 The Climate Institute, Submission to the National Energy Savings Initiative working group on the National Energy Savings Initiative Working Paper, 2012, p. 7 http://www.climateinstitute.org.au/articles/media- briefs/national-policy-to-save-energy,-emissions-and-money.html Retirement of coal fired power stationsSubmission 22 Concerns for the community Coal power stations are one of the most significant sources of toxic air pollutants that harm human health and local environments.
In 2009, estimated costs of health damages associated with coal combustion for electricity in Australia amount to $2.6 billion per annum9.

The Social Justice Board is concerned about the health impacts that these stations have on the community.

Coal generators, such as Hazelwood in Victoria, are driven by cheap fuel and low operating costs whilst ignoring the significant external costs these generators impose on human health, the environment and climate change10.
It is important that Australia’s social, economic and environmental policies begin to reflect that social justice and ecological justice are not competing interests, but have shared solutions.

It makes good economic and political sense to spend money to ensure the long-term well-being of our natural world — there can be no security for humanity without a healthy ecosystem.

Call for a fair and planned transition The Social Justice Board recognises the need for a fair and planned transition.
The aging profile of existing coal-fired generators means closures are inevitable within coming years.

The Australian Government should accordingly be planning to replace old coal fired stations with renewables, and create a policy framework to support Australia’s Paris commitments whilst simultaneously offering a lifeline to communities and workers who are currently dependant on existing coal fired generators.
We believe that a comprehensive national plan is needed to ensure a smooth transition away from coal power generation to renewable sources.

Communities and workers should be at the heart of this plan.

The Social Justice Board believes that as the transition to clean energy takes place, it is crucial that State and Federal governments create fair and transparent support plans for communities and workers in and around coal generators.
We are dissatisfied with the level of forward planning by state and federal levels of government in projecting the necessary closure of the Hazelwood power station and ensuring energy security and continued employment for the now redundant workers.

Throughout the process of transitioning, it is important to consult with various stakeholders and communities, who can then voice their concerns and needs for the future.
This can include, for example, ensuring that the cost of closure and transition support plans for communities falls on the big companies that have profited from polluting our environment.
Call for a national plan In recognising the imminent threat of global warming which has been consistently communicated by the scientific community over several decades, the Social Justice Board is concerned that to date, Federal and State governments have failed to acknowledge the need to provide a national transition strategy.

9 Coal and Health in the Hunter: Lessons from one valley for the world, Climate and Health Alliance Pg.

32.
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10 Jordan Ward and Mick Power, Cleaning up Victoria’s Power Sector: the full social cost of Hazelwood power station, Harvard Kennedy School of Government, 2015.

Retirement of coal fired power stationsSubmission 22 Without any clear direction, communities are being left behind and Australia is failing to meaningfully contribute to combatting climate change.

A coherent national plan is at the core of ensuring a smooth but rapid transitional away from coal power generation.
To ensure a national plan is carried out effectively and fairly, the Social Justice Board believes this requires  Coordination across all levels of Governments, agencies and regulators.

 Significant participation and input from community stakeholders  A reintroduction of a price on carbon The Uniting Church believes that Australia needs to re-introduce a price on carbon to increase revenue and achieve real impact in mitigating climate change.
For Australia to play its part in reducing emissions and working towards a less than 2 degrees Celsius change in temperature, the country’s biggest polluters must reduce their emissions.

A price on carbon would also serve to fund the necessary transition plans for local communities currently dependent on carbon intensive industries.
Global advances in renewable technologies are on the increase while revenues from coal-fired electricity generators are expected to decrease over time.11 Yet, the Climate Council warns that the future of renewable energy in Australia is currently uncertain, largely due to policy inaction.

Investment in renewable energy dropped 70% in 2014 compared to the previous year.12 There should be a clear policy for investing adequately in a renewable energy future.
According to modelling done by the Australian Conservation Foundation and the Australian Council of Trade Unions, strong action on climate change which assumes a price on carbon and investment in renewable energy industries would create 770,000 more jobs by 2030 than weak action.13 We respectfully ask this enquiry to model the quickest and fairest way to facilitate a clean energy transition.

Failure to do so will cost workers, communities, taxpayers and the environment itself.
11 The Climate Institute, Australia’s post-2020 emissions challenge, 2014, p. 5 http://www.climateinstitute.org.au/articles/publications/australias-post-2020-emissions- challenge.html/section/478 12 T. Flannery, G. Hueston & A.

Stock, Lagging behind: Australia and the global response to climate change, Climate Council, 2014 p. iii https://www.climatecouncil.org.au/globalresponsereport 13 ACF & ACTU, op.

cit., 2010 Retirement of coal fired power stationsSubmission 22