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Australia rejects new coal mine on environmental grounds
Australia has rejected a coal mining application on the basis of environmental law for the first time. The government is under pressure to curb climate change by blocking all new coal and gas exploration projects. Aus...
Updated: 40 months ago3 min read
Australia has rejected a coal mining application on the basis of environmental law for the first time. The government is under pressure to curb climate change by blocking all new coal and gas exploration projects. Australia is one of the world's largest exporters of fossil fuels, which are a major source of the nation's wealth. But Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek said Thursday she would decide on individual projects based on their merits. available science," Plibersek told parliament.On Wednesday, he announced his decision to prevent drilling at the Central Queensland coal project, northwest of the Queensland town of Rockhampton and less than 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the Great Barrier Reef in northeast Australia.
The project would have unacceptable impacts on freshwater in the area and potentially the fragile seagrass beds that support dugongs and provide fish nurseries, he said. The open pit mine has an estimated excavation capacity of tons of 10 million tons (11 million coal annually for 25 years). Plibersek said the risk of "contamination and irreversible damage to the reef is very real.
"The Great Barrier Reef is responsible for about A$6 billion (US$4.2 billion) worth of economic activity every year, about 64,000 jobs," Plibersek said. "Given the science before him, it became clear that the risks were just too great. The mine was proposed by mining magnate Clive Palmer, who founded and funded the Conservative United Australia party. Central Queensland Coal, a subsidiary of Palmer's Mineralogy, did not immediately respond to a request for comments on Thursday.
A United Nations-backed mission recommended in November that the Great Barrier Reef be included on the list of World Heritage Sites in Danger, warning that without "ambitious, rapid and sustained" climate action, the world's largest coral reef was in jeopardy. While ocean warming posed the greatest threat to the network of more than 2,500 reefs covering 348,000 square kilometers (134,000 sq mi), water quality and runoff off the Queensland coast were also risks. reducing the nation's greenhouse gas emissions since its election last year.
Parliament enshrined into law Labor's campaign pledge to cut Australia's greenhouse gas emissions by 43,2005 to its lowest level by 2030. The previous Conservative government had a more modest target of reducing emissions by 26% to 28% by the end of the decade.Labor has relied on the 12 Green Party senators to push legislation through the House of Lords.
The Greens, who lost a senator this week when Senator Lidia Thorpe became independent, want Australia to cut emissions by 75% by 2030 and are lobbying the government to ban more coal and gas projects. The government faces another controversial decision on the energy industry. while considering extending an offshore gas exploration license off Sydney's northern beaches.
The project's proponent, Asset Energy, took the government to court.But that lawsuit ended last week when the Albanian government agreed to reassess the previous government's decision.
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