For too long Australia has been stuck in a toxic relationship with gas.

It’s expensive, polluting, and bad for our health. Yet, the fossil fuel industry – backed by billions in subsidies – keeps telling us we need more gas, even as our climate spirals into crisis.

As we head into a federal election campaign, it’s time to take a hard look at gas in Australia’s energy mix.

Here are five reasons why we need to break up with gas – once and for all.

1. Gas is a polluting fossil fuel that’s driving climate change

Gas is a fossil fuel that produces a lot of climate pollution wherever we extract, process and burn it.

That pollution from gas (as well as from burning coal and oil) is overheating our planet and driving more intense and frequent unnatural disasters like bushfires, floods and heatwaves.

The gas industry has spent decades greenwashing itself – branding gas as “natural” and “clean” while pushing for more polluting projects. But there’s nothing clean about the methane it leaks or the carbon pollution it locks in for decades.

2. Gas is expensive and more gas projects won’t help

Once upon a time gas was cheap, now it’s one of our most expensive energy sources and Australians are paying the price on their power bills.

Why? Because gas companies send 80-90 per cent of our gas overseas, forcing Australians to compete with global prices.

More gas projects won’t lower bills, they’ll just entrench reliance on an industry that’s putting profit before people. Meanwhile, renewables like solar and wind, backed by big batteries, are the lowest-cost way to power Australia.

3. Australia already has enough gas – so why dig up more?

Gas has a small, shrinking and short-term role in our energy mix and we don’t need more of it.

In fact, gas from Australia’s existing projects through to 2035 would be enough to power our domestic energy needs for 64 years.

Pushing ahead with new gas projects – like the federal government’s Middle Arm development or Woodside’s Burrup Hub expansion – means more climate pollution and fewer opportunities to build a clean, thriving economy for our kids.

4. Gas is bad for our health and our hip pockets

Burning gas isn’t just a climate issue, it’s a health hazard.

Gas cooktops leak harmful toxins into our homes, even when switched off.

Studies show that a child living with gas cooking faces a comparable risk of asthma to a child exposed to household cigarette smoke.

Ditching gas at home also saves money, while switching to electric appliances can cut the average Aussie family’s energy bills by $200 a year, increasing to $400 within a decade.

5. We can reliably meet our energy needs with renewable power plus storage

Australia’s electricity grid is already shifting to renewables.

About 40 per cent of our electricity comes from solar, wind and hydro, double what it was just six years ago.

The Australian Energy Market Operator confirms that large-scale solar and wind, backed by storage like big batteries and pumped hydro, can provide reliable power 24/7.

There’s no point dragging out this dead-end relationship any longer than we need to.

Ramping up the role of gas in Australia’s energy mix – as the federal Coalition has committed to do – will only drive more climate pollution and higher power bills.

Gas is expensive, polluting, and harmful to our health. The smart move is clear: Australia needs to power past gas and go all in on renewables.

Lesley Hughes is Distinguished Professor of Biology and Pro Vice-Chancellor at Macquarie University. She is Director, Biodiversity Node, at the NSW Office of Environment & Heritage Climate Adaptation Research Hub and a Councillor at the independent Climate Council.