Australia's plans for a gas-led economic recovery have been criticised in a new report as "digging up our country's past to spite our future".
The report, released Thursday by the Climate Council, concluded that the emissions produced by Australia's gas sector weren't properly being accounted for.
Report co-author Tim Baxter said gas emission estimates are currently based on measurements that are out of date.
"Our report shows that this has lead to a significant under-reporting of emissions from gas in Australia, upstream emissions from gas as well as leaks and other sources are under-reported," he told SBS News.
Mr Baxter said that "a gas lead recovery can't be reconciled with the current state of the global emissions budget."
The report comes in the wake of the governments announcement for a gas-lead recovery out of the covid-19 recession Source: Moment RF
Emissions from the gas sector continue to rise but the government argues it is helping other nations swap out coal for gas, reducing emissions overseas.
CSIRO climate scientist Pep Cannadell said many of these emissions originated from Australian exports of liquid natural gas.
"In order to liquefy the gas you need a lot of energy to really bring high pressure and move the gas into a liquid," Dr Cannadell said.
"So within the industry itself, a lot of the gas that is extracted then is used in those high-pressure processes of making it into a liquid which then gets packed and exported."
The Morrison government recently approved a controversial gas field in NSW's Narrabri, paving the way for the $3.6 billion coal seam project to go ahead.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks during hybrid press stakeout at UN Headquarters on the need to reduce global emission by 6% annually. Source: Lev Radin/Sipa USA
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has recently outlined his vision for a gas-led recovery to the coronavirus crisis, declaring Australia needs more investment in gas supplies to push down power prices.
The federal government says the push would improve energy affordability amid an economic recession, assist in job creation and support families and businesses.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Wednesday that humanity is waging a suicidal war on nature through its reliance on fossil fuels.
In a keynote speech at Columbia University in New York, Mr Guterres declared: "The state of the planet is broken."
He said global carbon neutrality needed to be achieved within the next three decades, global finance had to be aligned behind the 2015 global accord to fight climate change, and there needed to be a breakthrough on adaptation to protect the world, especially the most vulnerable people, from climate impacts.
Additional reporting by AAP.
