Gas stinks - why we need renewables more urgently than ever!

At Ben & Jerry’s, we think gas stinks - it's bad for our planet, it’s super expensive and fossil fuel companies often don’t respect the wishes of Traditional Owners who are opposed to gas fracking on Country. 

Right now is a special time for Australia because we have a new Government and this gives us the chance to have a fresh look at how we do business. Gas is a big deal in this because now is the moment to ditch gas (and fossil fuels) to give Australia the best possible future.

Join us to crumble the cookie about why we need to ditch gas urgently! 

Cookie chunk 1: Gas is super expensive right now because big gas companies look after themselves first

Fossil fuel companies are the ones that win the most when gas prices get higher, because the dough rolls right into their bank accounts. 

The energy crisis Australia is seeing right now is partly because fossil fuel companies are selling almost all Australian gas overseas. Instead of making sure there is enough for Australia before sending it overseas, fossil fuel companies instead choose to maximize dough by sending most of it overseas for a high price. The Ukraine crisis has pushed global gas prices up, which means we have to pay the high price of the global market to buy it back to Australia. 

If we invested in renewable energy instead, we wouldn’t have to worry about how much fossil fuels cost overseas as we could get our energy from sun and wind in Australia!

Cookie Chunk 2: The Cheapest option is the best option (Hint: It’s renewables!)

Gas is the most expensive form of new energy in Australia and coal is no good either - aging coal fired power stations are breaking down, which makes coal power unreliable. Not to mention they are one of the worst things to drive climate change!

Luckily for planet Earth, renewable energy is the cheapest form of new energy (which is good news for sunny and windy Australia!). As our friends at The Climate Council put it, investing in renewables and storage now will increase our self sufficiency (meaning we can get all our energy from Australia), lower power prices and protect us from international shocks. 

So instead of putting money into unreliable and pricey things like gas and coal fired plants, we can secure our energy future with solar and wind. 

Cookie Chunk 3: Gas companies don’t care about social justice - but Traditional Owners are fighting back! 

Drilling and fracking for gas pollutes water, land and air around gas wells. This pollution is part of why Traditional Owners are strongly opposed to gas extraction on lands and waterways.

Fossil fuel companies often don’t listen or consult with Traditional Owners who have the right to determine what happens on their lands. There have been far too many examples of this. Traditional Owners have always been custodians of Country, which means they have long held the unfair burden of fighting to protect Country. Recently, Traditional Owners of the Tiwi Islands have taken the issue to Court because fossil fuel companies wanting to drill near the Tiwi Islands didn’t get permission or consult with Traditional Owners. 

What’s next?

At Ben & Jerrys, we stand in solidarity with the Traditional Owners of the Tiwi Islands taking this case to the Courts and we hope the Courts will put social and climate justice first. 

We also need to see the new Government step up as climate leaders and transition away from gas immediately by putting dough into renewable energy. The sooner we move away from fossil fuels, the faster we can start to heal our planet and secure a safer and brighter future for Australia! 

Want to take action? Join the call to stop Woodside, the biggest new gas extraction project in Australia - take action here!