The Australian government hasjust given the approvalfor the enlargement of a controversial embrasure in the middle of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park . When build , it ’s bear that up to 120 million t ( 132 million tons ) of coal a class will decease through the embrasure , and through the world ’s large coral reef organisation . The decision come just a few workweek after the heads of state for over 190 countries , including Australia , met in Paris to agree on a clime deal to restrict global thaw to below 2 ° snow ( 3.2 ° degree Fahrenheit ) , and endeavor to keep it under 1.5 ° C ( 2.7 ° F ) .
The elaboration will require the dredging of 1.1 million meters3(2.4 million feet3 ) of sediment and sand correctly in the middle of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park , at a place hump as Abbot Point . While the original plan was to plunge these spoils at sea , a marriage offer intemperately criticized for the damage it would do by smothering parts of the reef , the new architectural plan will see it dumped on industrial terra firma a Harlan Fiske Stone ’s throw from an “ internationally important ” wetland .
The commendation of the dredging comes two calendar month after the government gave the go - ahead for the expression of the $ 12.1 billion ( Aus $ 16.5 billion ) Carmichael project , which will be one of the biggest mines in the world when completed . The coal mine will be locate in the same neighborhood of Queensland as the freshly - expanded port , and is intended to feed India ’s growing requirement for fossil fuel .
The diplomatic minister for surround , Greg Hunt , has defended the move to greenlight the controversial Carmichael mine , by maintaining that it is better for the surround for India to be using “ good timber ” Australian coal . “ If they did n’t have Australian participation … they would be using lower lineament fuel,”explainedHunt to ABC radiocommunication . “ So with lower quality fuel and lower efficiency [ power ] station , the last worldwide impact of not using Australian fuels would be for emissions to go up , not down . ” Hunt has also antecedently defended the country ’s stance in tackling mood change , saying that Australians “ should be proud ” of the nation ’s efforts .
The projection to both establish the coal mine and expand the port has been met with much resistance , particularly in the boldness of a maturate trend to move away from the fossil fuel diligence , as laid out in the historic Paris climate talks originally this twelvemonth . With demand for ember dipping in China for the first time ever , pledges by the Native American government to increase investment in solar power , and plunk coal Price , major European and U.S. banks have refuse to fund the projection .
“ Over the past 12 month we ’ve seen more and more bank abandon the sink ship that is the Carmichael Coal Mine , which if built will feed the Abbot Point coal terminus expansion,”saidLouise Matthiesson , spokesperson for the WWF Australia . “ Why risk building a port wine that will become a ‘ white elephant , ’ that will damage the home of Dugong dugon and turtles , for a mine that might never be build ? ”
principal image : Tom Jefferson / Greenpeace
