ISLAMABAD/SYDNEY: Australia, for the first time in history, under environmental laws, has blocked the creation of a coal mine.
The Australian government rejected a proposal on Thursday for a new mine about 10 km from the Great Barrier Reef.
Tanya Plibersek, Minister for Environment, said that the project posed a significant threat to the World Heritage area, which is already vulnerable, immensely.
The controversial Australian billionaire Clive Palmer, the owner of this mine, has not responded to this rejection. His company, Central Queensland Coal, suggested developing an open-cut mine 700 kilometers northwest of Brisbane that would produce thermal and coking coal and run for roughly 20 years.
Plibersek had warned that the mine might be blocked by the federal government last year. After releasing it for public comment, her department got over 9,000 submissions in just ten days, the bulk of which demanded that the initiative be halted.
‘Great Barrier Reef’ world’s most extensive system
Authorities said, “The Great Barrier Reef’ is the most extensive coal reef system of the world, which has suffered four mass bleaching in the last six years owing to rising sea temperatures, and its outlook is “abysmal.”
Last year, the Queensland state government had also recommended that their federal counterparts reject the proposal, saying the environmental risks were “significant.”
Minister Plibersek’s department agreed to find that sediment and runoff from the open-cut mine were likely to damage the local water resources and Reef.
In a video released Wednesday, the minister stated, “I’ve determined that the severe environmental repercussions are too significant. Although state governments have previously rejected proposals, this is the first instance in which a federal environment minister has utilized their authority to do so. Pressure has come from some places on Australia’s Labor government, which was elected in May, to oppose any upcoming gas and coal mining projects.
Australia cannot keep global warming below a 1.5C increase or help to stop catastrophic climate change this century if it allows new coal mines, environmental advocates like the Greens political party say.
Australia is a significant provider of fossil fuels to the world. When exports are considered, the nation accounts for 3.6% of global emissions yet only accounts for 0.3% of the worldwide population.
While the new government has significantly increased Australia’s 2030 emissions reduction target, it has also said it will approve any new fossil fuel projects that make commercial sense.
