Park to protect 12,000 koalas to go ahead via contentious carbon credit deal by Albanese government

A long-promised New South Wales great koala national park is set to go ahead after the Albanese government greenlit the state to receive hundreds of millions of dollars for protecting native forests previously earmarked for logging. The assistant climate change minister, Josh Wilson, told Nine newspapers the government had approved the awarding of carbon credits to state governments for storing carbon dioxide in native forests on public land. Each carbon credit is said to represent one kilogram of emissions that has been prevented or sucked from the atmosphere – most often in trees or the landscape – rather than released to contribute to global heating. Their use is contentious, partly because polluting companies are allowed to buy an unlimited number of credits – also known as offsets – to count as their own cuts while continuing to pollute. Scientists have warned limiting the climate crisis requires rapid direct cuts in emissions and that carbon offsets should be used sparingly . Sign up for the Breaking News Australia email The NSW government, which proposed the new method to create carbon credits, had been waiting on federal approval of the new carbon credit before delivering an election commitment to add 176,000 hectares of national park near Coffs Harbour. NSW Labor first promised a koala park while in opposition more than a decade ago. …