The Anthony Albanese Labor government has taken up the call by some environmental lobby groups and trade unions to develop policies that can turn Australia into a renewable energy, or green, “superpower”.
But, as I argued earlier, any imagining of a green future needs to break imperial and colonialist power relations with the Global South.
It is impossible to address the global climate emergency within the existing power relations.
See also
The dangers of ‘green superpower’ capitalist dreaming Philippines: Typhoon Carina prompts calls for climate emergency, loss and damage funds US war games in the Pacific seek global participation in imperialist manoeuvresLabor intends to reach its renewable energy superpower plan by throwing hundreds of billions of dollars — through its Future Made in Australia policy — to the billionaire class to help them profit from any transition to renewables.
It is doomed to fail.
For a start, the arms industry has been promised a hefty share of these subsidies and tax concessions by PM Albanese.
Brazenly, gas industry corporate giants like INPEX and Chevron are lobbying hard for the expansion of gas mining and export to 2050 and beyond, as part of the push to become a “renewable energy superpower”.
INPEX, the biggest Japanese direct investor, in its submission to a parliamentary inquiry into the Future Made in Australia Bill 2024 and the Future Made in Australia (Omnibus Amendments No. 1) Bill 2024, demanded “incentives” to expand its gas........