MARCH 14, 2025, SYDNEY – As communities along the New South Wales and Queensland coasts begin recovering from Tropical Cyclone Alfred—which caused at least one death, left over 300,000 properties without power, and brought heavy rainfall leading to widespread flooding—a new report exposes the country’s role in fueling the very climate crisis that is intensifying such extreme weather events.

Tropical Cyclone Alfred, the first to make landfall between metropolitan Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast since 1974, highlights the growing unpredictability of extreme weather in Australia. Cyclones typically form in tropical regions, yet Alfred struck far south of usual cyclone zones, reaching areas that had not seen such warnings in over 50 years. This shift underscores how fossil fuel-driven global heating is expanding the reach of climate disasters, making preparedness essential in places that were once considered safe. Meanwhile, Australia remains one of the world’s largest fossil fuel exporters, worsening the crisis it now faces at home.

The report, Exporting Harm: The Climate Toll of Australia’s Fossil Fuel Expansion, details how Australia’s fossil fuel exports have doubled twice in the past three decades, making it one of the largest contributors to global carbon pollution. Despite its rhetoric of climate leadership, the Australian government has continued approving new coal and gas projects, directly contradicting the demands of Pacific nations, international agencies, and scientific consensus that fossil fuel expansion must stop. 

Since 2021, successive Australian administrations have approved 30 new coal and gas projects, locking in decades of emissions—despite already having some of the highest per capita emissions of any developed country. These approvals came between two catastrophic extreme weather events: the 2022 Northern NSW floods and Cyclone Alfred in March 2025, underscoring the contradiction between Australia's climate rhetoric and its ongoing fossil fuel expansion. 

The report finds that Australia’s fossil fuel exports will soon cause three times more climate pollution than its domestic emissions, pushing the country further out of step with the Paris Agreement. While Australia promotes liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a "transition fuel," studies show its climate impact is 33% worse than coal over 20 years due to methane leaks. Yet, Australia has increased LNG exports seven-fold since 2005, becoming the world’s second-largest LNG exporter. These projects directly undermine Australia's claims of climate leadership. 

The report was released by the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative. The initiative’s President, prominent human rights activist Kumi Naidoo, will give the closing keynote of Sydney Climate Action Week at the UTS Great Hall in Sydney on Friday 14 March. Tickets are available here.

Key Findings from the Report:

• Australia’s fossil fuel exports have doubled twice in the past three decades—from 1990 to 2005 and again from 2005 to today.

• 48% of the world’s internationallyinternationally-traded  traded metallurgical coal and 19% of thermal coal originate from Australia, making it the largest and second-largest exporter of each, respectively.

• Australia’s liquefied gas exports have increased seven-fold since 2005, with the country now producing 20% of all internationally traded LNG.

• Since 2021, despite global warnings, Australia has approved 30 new coal and gas projects under Australia's Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act with more approved under the offshore oil and gas regime.

• Australia's fossil fuel pipeline will add more still. A conservative selection of the projects currently being planned in Australia would create as much as 18.6 billion tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions—equivalent to 6.2% of the world’s remaining 1.5°C carbon budget.

• Australia’s exported fossil fuel emissions will be 3.3 times larger than its domestic emissions within five years.

Kumi Naidoo, President of the Fossil Fuel Treaty Initiative: “We cannot speak of solidarity while fanning the flames of destruction. Fossil fuels are the match that has set our world ablaze, and yet Australia continues to pour fuel on the fire. Cyclone Alfred is not just a storm—it is a warning, a reckoning, a call to conscience. The choice is clear: Australia must stand with the Pacific, not as an enabler of crisis, but as a true partner in survival. Ending fossil fuel expansion is not charity—it is duty, justice, and humanity.”

Brianna Fruean, Samoan climate activist: “The communities most affected by climate change are the ones least responsible for it. Indigenous peoples, frontline communities, and the Pacific islands have fought to protect our lands and waters for generations, yet we are the first to suffer from rising seas and intensifying storms. Australia’s government speaks of partnerships while approving coal mines that poison our air and gas projects that threaten our futures. Real solidarity means putting people before profit, justice before greed, and finally ending fossil fuel expansion.”

Michael Poland, Campaign Manager for the Fossil Fuel Treaty Initiative based in Northern NSW: “Consecutive Australian governments have supported rampant expansion of coal and gas extraction and now, communities across the country, including my own here near Lismore, are facing the havoc and destruction of extreme weather fuelled by this industry. While our leaders wine and dine with coal and gas executives seeking donations for their election campaigns, everyday Australians are bearing the brunt of fires, floods, and now cyclones while we fear for the future our kids will inherit. If Australia wants to be taken seriously as a climate leader, and an ally of our Pacific Island neighbours, our leaders must stop ignoring the harm they cause when they approve coal and gas projects and take immediate action—by ending coal and gas expansion and supporting a just transition to a fossil fuel free future.”

With communities across New South Wales and Queensland recovering from Cyclone Alfred, the need for urgent climate action has never been clearer. Australia stands at a crossroads: Will it continue to be a leading exporter of climate destruction, or will it take responsibility and transition away from fossil fuels? The international community is watching, and Pacific nations are demanding real action—not more empty promises.