The UQ Centre for Natural Gas was delighted to welcome industry, government and community stakeholders for our Annual Research Review.
Returning for the first time in three years, the Review was an opportunity to find out more about recent research across our three research themes: Energy Supply; Decarbonisation; and Environment, Social and Governance.
Research workshops were held on:
- Ground motion in the Surat Basin: Extents, Magnitudes and Mechanisms
- Unpacking ESG ratings and their impact on business
- Using drones to measure fugitive emissions.
During this year’s Review, CNG Director Professor Andrew Garnett also considered the role of gas in the transition to a net zero emissions economy.
Referring to a recent International Energy Agency (IEA) Net Zero Scenario, Professor Garnett said, “We must cater for a population growing by 1.75B people by 2050 and decrease total global energy supply by 13%, all while maintaining or enhancing the global standard of living.
“On aggregate, this means global energy supply per person has to reduce by 30% with a much, much larger reduction needed in developed countries such as Australia. That’s a real challenge.
“On top of that, as gas enables deeper penetration of renewables at home and abroad, and as it enables a faster move away from coal in the developing world, it really, really matters where we get our gas as some countries have much higher emissions than others. There’s a path for Queensland and Australia to make the transition to a net zero emissions future much smoother.”
A poster session provided the opportunity for stakeholders to speak with UQ researchers and students about recent projects.
The Review was also an opportunity for the CNG to showcase its work as an independent scientific advisory for state and federal governments, particularly around the development of a Strategic Regional Environmental and Baseline Assessment (SREBA) in the Northern Territory.
