ANOTHER blow for coral? Australia鈥檚 federal court has rejected a bid to block a giant coal mine in central Queensland that could harm the Great Barrier Reef.
The court dismissed claims by the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) that former federal environment minister Greg Hunt鈥檚 2014 approval of the Carmichael mine violated international obligations to protect the reef, a UNESCO world heritage site. Australian law requires ministerial decisions to adhere to the world heritage convention.
鈥淚t is extraordinary that in 2016 a minister can argue that a coal mine will have no impact on the climate鈥�
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Coal from the mine 鈥� which will be the largest in Australia 鈥� will be shipped to power stations in India. When it is burned, the coal will produce 128 million tonnes of carbon per year, says the ACF.
Conservationists had argued that this addition to global greenhouse emissions would damage the Great Barrier Reef by accelerating climate change. Rising ocean temperatures have been blamed for the reef鈥檚 worst ever coral bleaching event earlier this year.
But the court accepted the Australian government鈥檚 case that there was no definitive proof that coal from the Carmichael mine would increase global greenhouse emissions, because multiple factors affect how much coal is burned annually.
The ACF says it will continue its efforts to prevent the mine from going ahead. 鈥淚t is extraordinary that in 2016 a federal environment minister can argue in court that a mega-polluting coal mine will have no impact on the climate and the Great Barrier Reef,鈥� says Kelly O鈥橲hanassy, CEO of the ACF. 鈥淲e鈥檒l do everything we can to stop this mine.鈥�
Last week, the federal court also threw out a challenge by one of the mine site鈥檚 traditional owners, who claimed that the project undermines the native title rights of the Wangan and Jagalingou people.
This article appeared in print under the headline 鈥淐oal in court鈥�
