Sydney, 7 November 2015 – President Obama’s rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline offers an opportunity for Malcolm Turnbull to cancel the Carmichael coal mine and establish Australia as a leading country in tackling climate change.
Greenpeace Australia Pacific climate campaigner Nikola Čašule said: “President Obama’s rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline on environmental and economic grounds shows how countries all over the world are turning against fossil fuels and taking the threat of global warming seriously.
“Malcolm Turnbull now has the chance to do the same and establish Australia as a leader against climate change by directing Environment Minister Greg Hunt to reject the Carmichael coal mine and commit to a moratorium on new coal mines."
The proposed Carmichael coal mine in Queensland was recently re-approved by Hunt. The $16bn mine, which will be run by Indian mining company Adani, plans to extract up to 60m tonnes of coal a year, creating up to 121m tons of CO2 pollution per year at maximum production.
“Just like the Keystone XL pipeline, the Carmichael mine is environmentally disastrous and economically unviable. The choice for Prime Minister Turnbull is clear. Will he stand with the millions of people around the world who want a safe, prosperous future or with a polluting coal industry whose days are already numbered?" concluded Čašule.
“Malcolm Turnbull now has the chance to do the same and establish Australia as a leader against climate change by directing Environment Minister Greg Hunt to reject the Carmichael coal mine and commit to a moratorium on new coal mines."
The proposed Carmichael coal mine in Queensland was recently re-approved by Hunt. The $16bn mine, which will be run by Indian mining company Adani, plans to extract up to 60m tonnes of coal a year, creating up to 121m tons of CO2 pollution per year at maximum production.
“Just like the Keystone XL pipeline, the Carmichael mine is environmentally disastrous and economically unviable. The choice for Prime Minister Turnbull is clear. Will he stand with the millions of people around the world who want a safe, prosperous future or with a polluting coal industry whose days are already numbered?" concluded Čašule.