Alice Springs GP Dr Rosalie Schultz, a member of Doctors for the Environment, says the offsets process in the Pepper Inquiry has been farcical.
Dr Schultz said that the decision by the NT Government to allow fracking at the Beetaloo Basin did not meet all the points listed on the Pepper Inquiry checklist, despite the government’s claim to the contrary.
Dr Schultz said she did not believe that the NT government’s ability to offset gas emissions from the project would be met.
Since the government released the three year study of the Beetaloo Basin in April, 2023, 100 scientists have published an open letter urging the NT government not to go ahead with the scheme, due to the environmental damage it will cause in the area.
The scientists jointly estimated 89 million tonnes of emissions would be added to the environment if the fracking goes ahead.
Other scientists say their study indicates that a rise in emissions will intensify bushfires, floods and death of coral reefs.
Environmental groups say the study’s parameters for the Pepper Inquiry were too limited and did not address the concerns raised in the open letter.
The 89 million tonnes of emissions calculated once Beetaloo Basin begins the work, are four times the current emissions of the NT.
