WELCOME TO QUEENSLAND: RENEWABLE ONE DAY, AND THE NEXT, AND NEXT… CLIMATECOUNCIL.ORG.AU Thank you for supporting the Climate Council. The Climate Council is an independent, crowd-funded organisation providing quality information on climate change to the Australian public. Published by the Climate Council of Australia Limited. ISBN: 978-0-646-59754-6 (print) 978-0-646-59755-3 (digital) © Climate Council of Australia Ltd 2019 This work is copyright the Climate Council of Australia Ltd. All material contained in this work is copyright the Climate Council of Australia Ltd except where a third party source is indicated. Climate Council of Australia Ltd copyright material is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia License. To view a copy of this license visit http://creativecommons.org.au. You are free to copy, communicate and adapt the Climate Council of Australia Ltd copyright material so long as you attribute the Climate Council of Australia Ltd and the authors in the following manner: Welcome to Queensland: Renewable one day, and the next, and next … Authors: Will Steffen, Hilary Bambrick, Karen Hussey, Joelle Gergis, Greg Bourne, Louis Brailsford and Annika Dean. — Cover image: ‘Woman working at the Kidston solar farm.’ Image courtesy of Genex Power. This report is printed on 100% recycled paper. facebook.com/climatecouncil [email protected] twitter.com/climatecouncil climatecouncil.org.au CLIMATE COUNCIL I Contents Key Findings ....................................................................................................................................................................................ii 1. Introduction ..............................................................................................................................................................................1 2. Queensland is on the Frontline of Climate Change .................................................................................................... 3 Compound hazards: the summer of 2018/2019 4 Heatwaves and marine heatwaves 6 Shifting rainfall patterns, droughts and floods 11 Bushfires 16 Sea level rise, coastal erosion and inundation 18 Tropical cyclones 19 3. Health Impacts ......................................................................................................................................................................20 4. Risks and Opportunities for Queensland’s Economy ........................................................................................................24 5. Queensland has World Class Renewable Resources .................................................................................................. 27 Government policies 27 Renewable energy generation 29 Queensland is a leader in renewable energy construction 29 Queensland is number one for rooftop solar 32 Renewable energy is creating jobs and supporting regional economic development 34 6. Electric Vehicles .................................................................................................................................................................... 35 7. Future Renewable Opportunities for Queensland ..................................................................................................... 37 8. Queensland Needs a Just Transition Away From Thermal Coal............................................................................ 39 9. Conclusion ..............................................................................................................................................................................41 References ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 42 Image Credits ................................................................................................................................................................................46 Professor Will Steffen Professor Hilary Bambrick Professor Karen Hussey Dr Joelle Gergis Climate Councillor Climate Councillor Climate Councillor Climate Councillor Greg Bourne Louis Brailsford Dr Annika Dean Climate Councillor Researcher Senior Researcher II WELCOME TO QUEENSLAND: RENEWABLE ONE DAY, AND THE NEXT, AND NEXT… Key Findings 1 2 Queenslanders are on the frontline of Queenslanders are embracing solar energy climate change and extreme weather in record numbers and the state will benefit impacts. more than most from transitioning to renewable energy. › Queensland is highly exposed to extreme weather, and has borne 60% of the total › Queensland is called the sunshine state for a economic costs of extreme weather in reason. One third of all households have rooftop Australia in the decade from 2007 to 2016. solar, which can significantly reduce power bills. The state also has the most large-scale › Climate change is increasing the intensity solar projects under construction of any state of extreme weather events that affect or territory. Queenslanders – drought, bushfires, heatwaves, floods and cyclones. These › Renewable energy projects under construction events are taking a heavy toll on the health or about to begin will create more than 4,500 of Queenslanders, and on the state’s many jobs and deliver almost $10 billion in investment natural assets. to Queensland. This is in addition to the 5,080 current jobs in the sector, which is more › Currently 65% of Queensland is drought renewable jobs than in any other state or territory. declared, with significant impacts on the state’s rural sector. Parts of the state’s west and › North and central Queensland will be a major south have been drought-affected for more beneficiary of the transition to renewable energy, than six years. with the region home to six of the ten renewable energy projects under construction in the state. › More than 80% of damages resulting from Already solar is affordably and reliably supplying rising sea levels and storm surges in Australia one-third of the electricity needs of Townsville’s are projected to occur in Queensland. The Sun Metals zinc refinery, supporting 450 new most vulnerable area, the Gold Coast, accounts local jobs. for almost a quarter of projected national damages from sea-level rise alone. › Jobs in thermal coal are subject to uncertainty and insecurity as the world moves rapidly › Queensland’s economy is reliant on climate- towards renewables plus storage (e.g. from sensitive industries such as tourism and batteries). A plan needs to be developed between agriculture, and therefore needs strong local, stakeholders such as communities, government, national and international climate change industry and unions that ensures coal mine action to reduce its vulnerability. workers are supported to find fulfilling and rewarding jobs in other industries, including retraining where necessary. KEY FINDINGS III 3 Queensland has a pivotal role to play in the global climate effort by driving a smooth and just transition to net zero emissions. It is clear that the burning of fossil fuels - coal, oil and gas - must be phased out rapidly to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. › Australia has signed the Paris Agreement to keep global temperatures well below 2°C. › Mining and burning the thermal coal in the Galilee Basin and other such deposits around the world would make the Paris target impossible to achieve. › 2°C warming would sign the death warrant of the Great Barrier Reef, a multi-billion-dollar asset supporting 64,000 Australian jobs. › To limit warming to well-below 2°C, a rapid phase-out of all fossil fuels is required by 2050 at the latest. This means that the vast majority of fossil fuel resources must remain in the ground unburned, and that no new fossil fuel facilities, or extensions or upgrades to existing facilities, should be permitted. climatecouncil.org.au 1 WELCOME TO QUEENSLAND: RENEWABLE ONE DAY, AND THE NEXT, AND NEXT… 1. Introduction Queensland is rich in energy Queensland is also on the frontline of climate resources of the past and future: the change impacts. Climate change, largely historically important thermal coal driven by the burning of thermal coal, oil and and gas, as well as the more recent gas, is worsening extreme weather events surge in solar and wind energy, that threaten Queensland’s unique natural which now dominate global energy assets, as well as its climate-sensitive major investment. As the world increasingly industries such as tourism and agriculture. shifts away from fossil fuels to a Tourism employed about 138,000 people renewable energy future, Queensland in Queensland in 2016-17 (Tourism and can position itself as a leader in Events Queensland 2018) and agriculture the transition to a modern, clean employed an average of 69,600 people in renewable powered economy. the year to May 2019 (ABS 2019a). Together, tourism and agriculture employ over 207,000 Queenslanders, eight times the number of Queenslanders employed in coal mining (Queensland Treasury 2018; ABS 2019a). Queenslanders want action on climate change to protect livelihoods and the iconic natural assets of Queensland. About 24% of Queenslanders rated the environment as their top issue in the recent federal election, similar to the nation-wide average of 29% (ABC 2019a). Queensland is already leading Australia in many aspects of renewable energy. However, more needs to be done to unlock the enormous renewable potential and associated growth in jobs and economic opportunities. This