What is the issue? Right now, Indian company Adani is itching to dig one of the biggest coal mines in the world in Queensland’s Galilee Basin. If it goes ahead, burning coal from Adani’s massive Carmichael mine would create billions of tonnes of pollution, make climate change worse and irreversibly damage the Great Barrier Reef. The Reef is one of the most magnificent places on Earth, home to an amazing diversity of fish, corals, turtles, whales, dolphins, sharks and rays. But global warming, fuelled by coal pollution is warming our oceans and killing our coral. If we don’t cut pollution and limit global warming, the Great Barrier Reef could be gone in just a few decades. Yet our government continues to approve new coal mines like Adani’s giant Carmichael coal mine.
Some useful reading:
Our vision for a clean energy future
PUBLICATION: Read our big polluter report 2016
What we are doing
With overwhelming support from the community, ACF challenged the federal government’s approval in court. Our national environment laws exist to protect our air, water and wildlife. They should be able to protect World Heritage sites like the reef. The court found that under our current laws, Minister Hunt’s approval of Adani’s Carmichael coal mine will stand. It’s madness that our government can legally approve the biggest coal mine in Australia’s history when pollution is killing our reef. So we are appealing the decision in court. This isn’t over. We won’t give up until this mine is stopped once and for all. Fifty years ago, the ACF community first came together to protect the reef from limestone and oil mining. Today, we can and will protect it from coal mining.