Environment—Methane emissions
Statement
Hon Amanda Dorn (5:31 pm): President, yesterday in this chamber I shared the words of my colleague Jemma, who prepared a speech for the Pathways to Politics for Women program. Today, I rise again, this time to share the words of my good friend Dr Natashia Boland, who also completed the program. How amazing it is to know two of this year's cohort, who went through such a huge competitive selection process. When I found out that they were both selected, I promised that I would bring their passionate voices into this chamber to honour their work and share their speeches. Little did I know what the subject of my good friend Dr Natashia Boland's speech would be. The title alone, "The Power of Poo", certainly caught me by surprise. Thanks, Natashia! Rest assured, I will keep this chamber clear of the mess and stick to her message—a message that was evidence-based, urgent and deeply serious. Natashia is a scientist with a PhD in mathematics. She reminded us that animal agriculture is one of the greatest drivers of deforestation and climate change and 80% of the world's agricultural land is used for animals. Here in Australia, more than 90 million hectares has been cleared for this purpose. Grasslands that replace forests absorb only a fraction of the carbon, while methane—and members know from the title where this comes from—which is 80 times more warming than carbon dioxide, billows into our atmosphere.
Australia's own data, reported to the United Nations, shows emissions from animal agriculture at 172 million tonnes of CO2-equivalent each year. That is more than our entire electricity sector and almost double all transport combined. The science is unequivocal, yet no major political party is willing to confront this reality. Natashia also reminded us of the beautiful balance of natural ecosystems. Nature holds many of the answers, if only we allow ecosystems to function. Sperm whales, through their iron-rich waste, fertilise oceans, spurring plankton growth that draws down carbon. Today's sperm whale population alone extracts around 200,000 tonnes of CO2 every year; how great is that? Penguins, those little legends, produce waste that is rich in ammonia, which increases cloud cover over Antarctica and slows the melting of the southern ice cap. In other words, wild sea animals defecating is helping to stabilise our climate. Nature wants to help, but we have to let it. Is it not striking that while wild animals are replenishing the earth, the vast herds of introduced farmed animals are driving deforestation, destroying ecosystems, and pushing us deeper into the climate crisis?
Natashia's call is clear: end deforestation for animal agriculture. Reforest and rewild cleared lands and strengthen marine protections. These are not radical ideas. They are necessary steps rooted in science and common sense, steps that we must take if we are serious about addressing the climate crisis. I share this call in the chamber today: we must have the courage to name truths that too often go unsaid. I urge this government to confront the real drivers of climate change, because until animal agriculture is honestly addressed, every climate plan in this state will remain incomplete.
