Parents for Climate put utilities on notice after landmark win against “state-sponsored greenwashing”
A landmark legal settlement secured by Parents for Climate, has put Australia’s utilities on notice, and thrown a spotlight on dodgy, government-backed carbon offsets.
Last week, EnergyAustralia admitted that pollution cannot be undone by buying carbon offsets – a core feature of its now-abandoned ‘Go Neutral’ product, certified under the federal government’s Climate Active program.
Many other Australian energy providers - as well as hundreds of companies - continue to rely on Climate Active certification to justify “carbon neutral” claims.
Despite growing concern over the credibility of carbon neutral claims, Parents for Climate CEO Nic Seton says the government continues to certify the practice.
The organisation is calling for urgent action from the government and federal regulators to uphold the public interest.
The Government has said it is considering the future direction of the Climate Active program.
But the decades-old Climate Active program has already been under review for more than three years.
Some major companies have already withdrawn from the program, including Telstra, the Brisbane City Council, and Australia Post, citing concerns about greenwashing and credibility.
EnergyAustralia’s Go Neutral product was an electricity and gas offering marketed as a product that would “cancel out” the climate impact of burning fossil fuels through the purchase of offsets.
The settlement with EnergyAustralia came after two years of legal action with initial attempts to negotiate a solution rebuffed.