{"id":417326,"date":"2025-12-14T14:01:18","date_gmt":"2025-12-14T13:01:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=417326"},"modified":"2025-12-14T14:01:20","modified_gmt":"2025-12-14T13:01:20","slug":"bhp-exec-to-australia-time-to-reconsider-net-zero-if-australia-wants-mining-investment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=417326","title":{"rendered":"BHP Exec to Australia: \u201ctime to reconsider net zero\u201d if Australia wants Mining Investment"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Watts Up With That?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Essay by\u00a0<\/strong> Eric Worrall<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

First published JoNova<\/a>; A senior executive of Australia\u2019s largest mining company has delivered an ultimatum to our green leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Mining giant\u2019s rising star Brandon Craig warns even green policy stalwarts like Canada are moving to protect their economies<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Brad Thompson, The Australian<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

BHP rising star Brandon Craig has warned Labor it needs to reconsider how policy settings are calibrated, including around emissions and climate targets, or risk being left behind by governments hungrier for mining investment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Investment rivals like Chile, Argentina, the United States and Mark Carney\u2019s Canada were acting to attract and secure multi-billion dollar investment from miners, but Australia was failing to meet their terms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr Craig suggested it was time to reconsider net zero and decarbonisation policies to safeguard Australia\u2019s economy.<\/strong> \u201cI would let readers form their own conclusions but I think if we contrast directionally where the rest of the world is going versus where Australia is going across energy policy, tax policy, industrial policy, deregulation, even in some respects net zero positioning and decarbonisation, even stalwarts like Canada \u2013 in the face of tariffs and the impact to the economy from US policy \u2013 is walking back policies that the country can\u2019t afford anymore,<\/strong>\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026Read more: https:\/\/www.theaustralian.com.au\/business\/mining-giants-rising-star-brandon-craig-warns-even-green-policy-stalwarts-like-canada-are-moving-to-protect-their-economies\/news-story\/cf40509945848e7bfd4e926dd0f041b5<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Mines need continuous investment to function. As patches of ground are exhausted, mining equipment needs to be moved to new parts of the claim, or to new claims entirely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But nowadays there is a lot of competition for that mining investment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Argentina is developing the enormous Vaca Muerta Shale gas field<\/a> as a national priority, which directly threatens Australia\u2019s gas dominance. The new $15 billion Simandou Iron Ore mine in Guinea<\/a> threatens Australia\u2019s iron ore exports, and Indonesia has had a 5 year winning streak of rising thermal coal exports to Asia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite a lot of noise about renewables, the reality is coal demand is Asia, already at a record high, is still rising. But that demand might not be satisfied by Australia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Tactics to dump coal are failing in Asia as energy demand booms<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bloomberg News<\/a> | December 9, 2025 | 4:38 pm  Energy<\/a> Asia<\/a> China<\/a> Coal<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coal\u2019s future in Asia is looking brighter, as the top-consuming region\u2019s efforts to shift to cleaner energy suffer a series of setbacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Indonesia has canceled a flagship project that was the poster child for shuttering coal plants early. India is considering expanding its fleet until mid-century instead of through 2035. And China\u2019s on track for another year of record mine output, bolstered by demand from the chemicals sector, despite a steady roll-out of renewables.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The through line here is that concerns over energy security and costs are trumping the climate agenda in Asia\u2019s high-growth, high-polluting economies. Power demand is soaring for everything from air conditioning to AI data centers, and governments keen to avoid outages are waving through coal plant approvals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026Read more: https:\/\/www.mining.com\/web\/tactics-to-dump-coal-are-failing-in-asia-as-energy-demand-booms\/<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Despite relatively high costs and long-distance logistics, Australia until recently won top marks for political stability. That reputation for stability is now in doubt, as threats to limit gas exports, soaring energy prices and looming grid instability spook mining companies like BHP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
$60 Billion Investor Slams Green Australia for “Quietly Quitting” on Gas<\/a><\/blockquote>