The Battle for a Future: Farming and Extraction

The IPCC has made it clear that it is now or never to decarbonise. Yet there remains significant investment and prospecting for coal seam gas projects such as Shell and Arrow Energy’s Surat Gas Project in the Darling Downs of Queensland. This panel discussion, hosted in partnership with the University of Sydney’s Institute of Agriculture, explores how extraction of coal seam gas could affect the vibrant farming life and threaten Australia’s agricultural industry.

SEI’s Unsettling Resources research lead Professor Susan Park sits down with farmer Tabitha Karp, gas expert Dr Madeline Taylor, and agriculture expert Dr Rebecca Cross, as they discuss the regulatory failures of coal seam gas, the impacts of extraction on the regions’ ‘black soil’, possible co-benefits for farmers for carbon sequestration, and the future of agriculture in Australia.

This event is held in partnership with the University of Sydney’s Institute of Agriculture.

Speakers

Dr Rebecca Cross, University of Sydney’s Institute of Agriculture

Tabitha Karp, Farmer from the Darling Downs, Queensland

Professor Susan Park, University of Sydney

Dr Madeline Taylor, Macquarie University

This event is part of the Sydney Environment Institute’s Communities on the Frontline Series, which explores the impacts of a transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy on a range of local communities on the frontline. This event series links multiple SEI research projects, including Unsettling Resources and Grounded Imaginaries, and highlights the work of the Institute in addressing those often left behind by systemic changes. The series features multiple events that delve into the social and ethical implications of a just transition in the Australian energy sector.