‘The road to net zero runs through the resources sector’: Metallurgical coal and the changing politics of climate in Australia

Abstract

While thermal coal is front and centre of debates about climate change, metallurgical coal has received far less attention. This is despite its significant role in steel production and the substantial GHG emissions created during steelmaking. This analysis examines the politics of metallurgical coal in Australia, the world's largest exporter, and the extent to which this varies from our understanding of thermal coal politics. It asks how pro-metallurgical coal actors from government (state and federal) and industry discuss metallurgical coal's future in the context of climate change. Through a discourse analysis of documentary data including corporate communication, parliamentary records, and media coverage, the findings show how actors use discursive framings to advocate for continued metallurgical coal production and export. There are parallels between thermal and metallurgical coal discourses, with coal linked to the national interest, and emphasis on industry's contribution to supporting communities and providing employment. However, at the same time, actors have sought to reorient the industry around steel production. The fundamental role that steel plays in renewable energy infrastructure (e.g., wind turbines and solar panels), coupled with the present lack of economically viable alternatives to metallurgical coal in steel production, paradoxically means that metallurgical coal is central to decarbonisation – at least for now. Overall, this analysis this contributes to our understanding of the dynamic and changing nature of decarbonisation politics. It highlights the need to pay greater attention to the complexities of transition pathways, including the role that high-emission commodities like metallurgical coal may play in driving decarbonisation until low-emission technologies catch up.