Former top BHP economist urges tougher government policies to push miners to decarbonise

The Guardian9 Jul 2026Macro
Automatically composed with AI from the cited sources

Dr Huw McKay, BHP's former chief economist, called for a carbon price calibrated to move the needle on hard-to-abate emissions, arguing voluntary corporate commitments are unstable and a carbon-price obligation in investment processes would drive swifter action. BHP has already met its 2030 target of 30% below 2020 levels through power purchasing agreements and the suspension of its Western Australian nickel operations, but its longer-term net-zero goal requires electrifying its diesel fleet and transforming its gas- and diesel-powered inland grid; leaked documents showed it shelved a 50MW solar farm and 20MW battery at Jimblebar, delayed a 500MW renewables system, and continued acquiring 62 diesel haulage trucks despite earlier pledges. The federal safeguard mechanism, which mandates annual emissions-intensity cuts at large industrial sites, delivered a 2.3% reduction in onsite emissions this year.