Global environmental activist group Greenpeace is trying to raise some A$6 million in funding to wage legal battles against coal mining projects across Australia.“It is no secret that we’re trying to raise funds in a David vs. Goliath fight against the massive PR budgets of the mining industry,” said Greenpeace senior campaigner John Hepburn.“The reckless and massive planned expansion of the coal industry will have a devastating impact on the Great Barrier Reef, on local communities and on the global climate.”
The Australian government would soon decide whether to approve the world’s largest coal port, located in the World Heritage Area at Abbot Point in Queensland, which could possibly see a six-fold increase in coal port capacity.“The coal industry is also taking over Australia’s prime farm land, polluting vital groundwater and driving climate change. These are the kind of excesses which we absolutely need to challenge,” Hepburn said.
Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan called the action “completely irrational and destructive”, and said that the coal industry was an important part of the economy.“I think it’s a disturbing development, and I think its deeply irresponsible.I think many people confuse the fact that while we need to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, we’ve got to keep the lights on and the power flowing, and of course coal is a very important part of that equation.”
The Minerals Council of Australia has also stepped into the fray, saying that the strategy to delay or destroy coal-mining projects was a direct attack on Australia’s national interest.“Coal is a legal and legitimate industry that complies with rigorous environmental and social approvals processes. It should be permitted to expand without facing vexatious, untruthful and potentially unlawful campaigns,” the council said.
It added that the minerals industry was committed to the principles of sustainable development and its practical implementation; spending billions of dollars minimising its environmental impact, rehabilitating lands and building long-lasting communities. It has worked closely with the environment movement to improve its performance.
“It is profoundly disappointing that the green groups, land access campaigners, academics and unions named in the strategy have now embarked on this antidevelopment campaign.Supporters of the groups named in the document should be under no illusion that they are signing on with organisations seeking to destroy a legitimate industry that underpins many regional communities.”
Miners noted that another alarming aspect of the anticoal movement strategy was the involvement of government-funded agencies such as the Queensland Environmental Defenders Office.“Resource sector developers acknowledge the vital role of independent merit-based assessments under the state’s environmental-impact statement process, but will have every right to question whether the groups behind this anti-coal campaign are pro-environment or anti-Queensland business,” they said.
(Abridged from a report posted on miningweekly.com)