Yes, I think you and @kingpins make a fair point. Why didn't they do it online?
Before I answer though, what offends me is the ridiculous exaggeration, lying and misinformation continually used by supporters of the fossil fuel industries and anti-vaxxers in prosecuting their agendas. That obscures issues they occasionally bring up that may be worth discussing. If I spent less time debunking outright lies I would have more time to engage in productive discussion. I would be more open to persuasion too, as I can't stand liars and BS artists.
So, first point is the 13 to 20k tonnes of emissions is a not even a drop in a bucket, compared to what they're trying to save. It's meaningless. As @kingpins argues though, it's symbolic. Having an online meeting would signal their virtue and stop allegations of hypocrisy from coal lovers. My feeling though is another red herring would be found to allege hypocrisy or double standards in people trying to lower emissions. The coal industry spends a lot of money producing these seemingly random talking points for fools like Downer to spout as "facts".
