PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Australia’s natural resources could be used to tackle a range of social and environmental issues, including reducing poverty, improving air quality, and reducing carbon emissions through the greater use of clean Australian coal and gas.

Federal Resources Minister Matt Canavan told delegates at the International Mining and Resources conference, in Melbourne, that in the case of poverty, the evidence has been clearly established over the past 30 years.

“In our generation and in our region we have witnessed the most remarkable event in economic history. In the mid-1980s, two-thirds of people in the Asia-Pacific region, our home, lived on less than $1.90 per day - a well established poverty line. Today, less than 5% of people in our region live on less than $1.90 per day.

“Over that same time period the use of fossil fuels in the Asia-Pacific region has grown by more than six times. Clearly it has been the use of affordable and reliable energy that has helped fuel the economic growth that has propelled so many out of poverty. On these numbers, more than 2.5-billion people are no longer in poverty thanks to the industrial and economic development of the Asia-Pacific, in part fuelled by Australian resources.”

Canavan said that Australia’s resources also help improve air quality because they often replaced poor quality fuels in energy production methods.

Furthermore, Australian coal and gas also helped to lower global carbon emissions, with Canavan pointing to Indian major Adani’s planned coal mine, which will produce roughly 50% more energy than coal sourced from India, meaning fewer emissions for every tonne of coal used.

“There is a broader reason why those who truly want action on climate change should support the development of Australian resources. Other countries are not going to prioritise reducing carbon emissions before providing nutrition or housing to their people. We can see that in-built in the Paris Agreement where developing countries have much lower obligations to reduce emissions.

“If we truly want all countries to reduce emissions we must work towards making all countries rich enough to afford to do so first. If we restrict the use of Australian coal and gas that will make it harder for other countries to grow and develop. That will defer the time at which other countries will take emissions reductions seriously,” Canavan said.