Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek approved another three huge coal mines this Spring, bringing to seven the total number she has approved since coming to power. Caval Ridge in Queensland, Boggabri in New South Wales, and Lake Vermont in Queensland have all been approved for expansion by the Minister without environmental considerations. The mine expansions cover an area almost as large as Greater Sydney.
At 936 million tonnes, the cumulative emissions of Minister Plibersek's coal mine approvals will be equivalent to 62 million Australian households! These huge coal mines will contribute dramatically to global warming and pose severe threats to local ecosystems and endangered species. Their combined cumulative emissions are almost equivalent to Australia's entire annual emissions for two years. The Lake Vermont Coal Mine alone will generate 307 million tonnes of emissions. That's equivalent to the annual emissions of 67 million cars.
Minister Plibersek keeps posting selfies with cute marsupials on Twitter and Instagram. But that won't save our species from extinction. The dissonance between her conservation rhetoric and her decisions on coal mine approvals is deeply disappointing and disturbing. Climate change is the biggest threat to Australia's wildlife but since her appointment in 2022, Tanya Plibersek has approved seven new coal mine projects with cumulative emissions of over one billion tonnes.
The Minister's approvals undermine Australia's climate action and conservation efforts. They are destroying the future prosperity and safety of our kids and country.
Call to Action
Call Tanya Plibersek's office now on (02) 9379 0700 and email her via her message form to say enough is enough.
Follow the Australia Institute's Coal Mine Tracker site to stay up-to-date.
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