[Greens-Media] Coal in crisis: Rio Tinto "scrambling" to keep pace

[Hollo, Tim (Sen C. Milne)]

Coal in crisis: Rio Tinto "scrambling" to keep pace

Canberra, Wednesday 19 September 2007  Australian Greens Climate Change
Spokesperson, Senator Christine Milne, today welcomed the
acknowledgement from Rio Tinto executive, Andy Lloyd, that climate
change demands fast action and the coal industry is "scrambling" to keep
pace.

Senator Milne said "Andy Lloyd's speech at Coal21 yesterday acknowledges
that 'clean' coal is as far away as ever as a response to climate
change.

"It is heartening to see that people in the highest levels of the coal
corporations are starting to understand the urgency of action on climate
change. It is vital that we now move ever faster from that position to
one where they stop blocking action on energy efficiency and renewable
energy.

"Andy Lloyd is spot on that the coal industry will struggle to get any
low emissions technologies online in time to make an impact on reducing
emissions, but his view that the competition is between coal and nuclear
demonstrates that the industry does not see or want action in that time
frame.

"Nuclear power in Australia is at least 15-20 years away. It is telling
indeed that Mr Lloyd expects nuclear to challenge so-called 'clean' coal
as an option in a race to implementation.

"There is a great array of energy efficiency and renewable energy
options that are market ready and waiting to be rolled out today that
could easily help us achieve absolute cuts in greenhouse emissions fast.

"The real challenge for companies like Rio Tinto is to radically
diversify and move towards real zero emissions technologies like solar
thermal, geothermal, bioenergy and energy efficiency. It is only through
focussing on those areas that they can actually become part of the
solution instead of continuing to make the problem worse."

Contact: Tim Hollo on 0437 587 562

Tim Hollo
Media and Communications Adviser
Senator Christine Milne
Phone: + 61 (0) 2 6277 3063
Mobile: + 61 (0) 437 587 562
Email: tim.hollo at aph.gov.au
Skype: timhollo
www.christinemilne.org.au
www.youtube.com/senatormilne