Australia has plans to embark on unprecedented coal expansion right over our Great Barrier Reef...
There are nine mega coal mines planned for construction in Queensland's Galilee Basin. Five of these are bigger than any existing mines already operating in Oz. Australia's biggest contribution to global warming is our coal exports and if these projects go ahead our co2 emissions from fossil fuels will only get bigger, and bigger.
In fact, Greenpeace report that "if the Galilee Basin was a country burning its coal would make it the 7th largest emitter of CO2 from fossil fuel burning on the planet" .
It's hard to see how Australia could succeed in a 5% reduction of co2 emissions by 2020 if these projects go ahead. Furthermore, recent reports show a 25% reduction is the bare minimum that would keep Australia on track with our ‘global carbon budget’, which is a calculation of the Australian share of global emissions that can occur while still keeping global warming to a maximum of 2 degrees Centigrade. Warming oceans from global warming would destroy the reef as it causes coral bleaching, which is already having effects on reefs all around the world .
What more? To export the coal from Galilee, giant coal ports are proposed to be built right on the coast of our Great Barrier Reef. An estimated 11,400 ships would pass through annually if these ports go ahead, bringing destruction to marine habitats and wildlife. Enormous areas of farmland and bushland will also be destroyed to make way for 675km of new rail lines to transport the coal to the coast.
Felicity Wishart, from the Australian Marine Conservation Society, told Guardian Australia...
"Despite all of the scientific evidence, the Queensland government has said Abbot Point will go ahead. There is a head-in-the sand attitude towards the reef. The current approach needs to change and politicians can't wash their hands of this".
Abbot Point is planned to become the world's largest coal port and it's proposed expansion will have dire effects on the Great Barrier Reef. Greg Hunt will make a decision on the expansion this month. The future of the reef could literally be lying in his hands.
The state of our Great Barrier Reef has already reached new lows with its health status downgraded from 'moderate' to 'poor' earlier this year, yet the coal industry is seeking greater heights at the cost of our precious World Heritage site. The greed of a few reflected in damage for many.
We need to save our Great Barrier Reef from coal expansion. We have the opportunity to embrace renewable energies and coal should stay in the ground, starting with the proposed mega-mines in the Galilee Basin. We need to send a message to our politicians that our reef is not for sale, and while Gina Rhinehart may own a lot, the Great Barrier Reef belongs to us all and to the future generations.
What can you do?
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