Thursday, October 15, 2015

Australia's Carbon Commitment

Australia's government has given its approval for one of the world's biggest coal mines to be built by India's Adani Mining in Queensland. The mine will be seven times the size of Manhattan.

The Carmichael project is worth some $16bn Australian dollar ($12bn; £8bn) and will dig up and transport about 60 million tonnes of coal a year for export, mostly to India.

The Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) said approval of the mine and railway project was "grossly irresponsible".

"To approve a massive coal mine that would make species extinct, deplete 297 billion litres of precious groundwater and produce 128.4 million tonnes of CO2 (carbon dioxide) a year is grossly irresponsible," said ACF president Geoff Cousins. "At a time when the world is desperately seeking cleaner energy options this huge new coal mine will make the effort to combat climate change all the more difficult."

The ACF said the mine would produce more climate pollution than New Zealand's entire annual emissions.


Profits before Planet!

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