Published on Servindi - Servicios de Comunicación Intercultural (http://server.servindi.org)

Inicio > Australia approves controversial and immense coal mine
Imprimir articulo   Exportar a PDF
Volver

Australia approves controversial and immense coal mine

The coal extraction project will be located very close to the Great Barrier Reef and will put at risk this ecosystem. Civil society and indigenous populations denounce that the Government of Australia is backing down in terms of fighting climate change. Is an environmental disaster looming in Oceania?

By José Díaz

Servindi, June 14th, 2019.- Although the global trend is the decarbonization of the economies, Australia has just made a controversial decision on this issue. Specifically, the Government of Queensland, located in the northeast of the country, has approved the construction of the largest Australian coal mine. This decision was made despite the criticisms made by several environmental and political groups.

The most controversial thing about the decision made by Queensland is that this coal mine, whose debate lasted for 10 years, will be near the famous Great Barrier Reef. In fact, this project involves a groundwater management plan for the mine. These waters and the mining project will be managed with Indian private capital.

After this news was confirmed, the reaction of Australian civil society was immediate. "The burning of coal is driving climate change. The reality is that we can not have thermal coal mining and a safe climate. It's one thing or the other," said Amanda Mckenzie, director of the independent organization Climate Council.

The disagreement in the Australian environmental sector remains despite the fact that the Indian company has committed to comply with a series of conditions imposed by the Government of Australia. Among these conditions is the protection of 31 thousand hectares of natural habitat and threatened wildlife in the Doongmabulla Springs wetlands.

In the eye of the storm

Australia is not going through one of its best moments in terms of green policies. Several sectors have indicated that the country of Oceania has decided to turn its back on the fight against climate change. In fact, a few weeks ago a group of Australian indigenous people from the Torres Strait denounced the Government of Australia in front of the United Nations Human Rights Commission for their inaction in environmental policies.

The aborigines of the Australian islands demand that the inaction of the Government of Australia in terms of climate change violates their human rights. The increase of the water levels and the flooding of its coasts, I have generated in the native communities of this country emotional stress that has been denounced in the UN.

In recent months, Australia has shown signs of setbacks in environmental policies since the Liberal-National political coalition won the elections earlier this year. With a political project that promotes the extraction of coal and ignoring the fight against climate change, the Government of Australia has stepped back against the environmental commitments it assumed when signing the Paris Agreement in 2015.

It may interest you

Valoración: 
0
Sin votos (todavía)
Source URL:http://server.servindi.org/actualidad-noticias/14/06/2019/australia-approves-controversial-and-immense-coal-mine