By Natasha Kronenberg, StopAdani Albury-Wodonga member
Do you care about our planet? Have you noticed all the cyclones and floods overseas, and the eighty bushfires in NSW in September? Then you must do all you can to stop one of the world’s biggest new coal mines from getting built. Saturday 7th October is Stop Adani national day of action, with huge human signs planned across the country, including here on the Border at 1.30pm on Gateway Island.
I’m 13 years old and will be attending because protecting Australia’s environment and indigenous culture is something I feel passionate about.
Stopping Adani should be top of the priority list for all Australians. If it goes ahead, the Adani mine will produce 5 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions, that’s ten times the amount Australia produces annually. Adani also has an extensive history of human rights abuses, environmental harm and corruption, yet still our government has decided to make the Adani coal mine ‘critical infrastructure’. This means they can ignore anyone’s protests, fast-track it to completion and lend them a billion dollars of our money.
You may think the politicians don’t read protest emails or listen to voicemails, but with enough commotion they have to listen. Together on Stop Adani national day of action we can make a difference to the lives of future Australians and protect our reefs. In April 2016, only seven percent of the Great Barrier Reef avoided coral bleaching, if this continues the Reef will cease to exist in less than a decade. On top of this it will be dredged to make way for the coal mine anyway, so if you want to visit the reef I suggest to go soon.
Adani is an overseas billionaire who doesn’t give a toss about Australia and needs to be stopped. If enough people participate in the day of action and constantly remind politicians about the reasons for opposing the mine, there might be some hope for Australia’s natural environment.
We can’t wait to see you on Saturday 7th. We’ll meet behind the oval where circus tents set up, where there’s a small picnic area and natural amphitheatre. Please wear red and black. We will take spectacular photos to send to our politicians, along with petitions to be tabled in parliament. For more information visit: https://www.facebook.com/pg/StopAdaniAlburyWodonga