Australia’s climate change minister Chris Bowen says he has made it “crystal clear” to BHP and other large industrial polluters that they must reduce their onsite emissions, following leaked internal documents. The documents, reported by the Guardian and the ABC’s Four Corners, indicate BHP has halted or delayed parts of its decarbonisation plans for its Western Australian iron ore operations. The reporting says BHP has scrapped or put on ice a facility that could have significantly reduced emissions and has delayed renewable projects intended to power iron ore activities in the Pilbara. It also reports that BHP internally modelled or “war-gamed” scenarios to postpone major climate investments, including electrification of diesel truck and rail fleets, into the next two decades.
BHP says its progress toward net zero depends on future technological developments for equipment such as trucks, trains and other machinery. Additional reporting quotes senior figures acknowledging delays in replacing diesel equipment, while the Western Australian premier argues miners have a “moral obligation” to decarbonise. The overall issue raised across coverage is whether the delays could affect Australia’s national emissions reduction goals.
