Aussie Mining Sector Doubles Energy Use 1001 - 2006; Annual Energy/Unit Output Increase = 3.7%

[hatrack]

The mining industry might have secured significant concessions in the government's plan for emissions trading, but fresh data shows it is becoming a worse greenhouse gas polluter with each passing year.

Mining companies are heading in the wrong direction on climate change, using more energy and becoming less energy-efficient. The industry more than doubled its energy use over the 15 years to 2006. And the amount of energy used per unit of output - called energy intensity - has been increasing by 3.7 per cent a year.

The fight against climate change is generally held to involve using less energy and becoming more energy-efficient. The findings are contained in a report by the federal government's Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics (ABARE).

The government's white paper on emissions trading, released last week, offered a significant number of free permits to mining companies to shield them from the full costs of emissions trading.

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http://news.theage.com.au/national/data-shows-mining-pollution-is-worsening-20081223-740n.html