By Sally Hendy and Jan Hastings, StopAdani Albury-Wodonga
The Adani Carmichael coal mine concerns us greatly, so we’re off to a queue-in at Sussan Ley’s office tomorrow and would love you to join us.
We live in Albury, so why should we care about a mine in Queensland?
We care because we live in a global world. Whatever is done in Queensland, indeed anywhere in the world, affects us because the burning of coal produces significant quantities of carbon dioxide which spread throughout the earth’s atmosphere.
Carbon dioxide is a gas that traps heat in the atmosphere, which is beneficial in small amounts, but human activities have substantially increased this to a level that’s causing more frequent extreme weather events around the world. Just watch the news – fires, floods, storms and droughts in record-breaking numbers.
We care because the plan is to give free and unlimited access to the waters of the Artesian Basin, which will destroy the farming industry in the Galilee Basin. Water for food production is vital for a stable society. You can’t eat or drink coal.
There is already too much coal being extracted worldwide. We do not need another mine, especially by the Adani Group, with their disastrous record as a global citizen. It is a wasteful and insulting use of taxpayers’ money to support this company.
We care because the Great Barrier Reef is the canary in the coal-mine, already suffering because of ocean temperature rises. If destroyed, it could be catastrophic for the many millions of organisms, including humans, that are dependent on it. Many more jobs will be lost than this mine could ever create. You can kiss our reef goodbye.
This is a prime example of private profit for public loss. Adani cannot be trusted. Our future lies with clean, renewable energy.
We must let our politicians, such as Sussan Ley, know we are distressed by the government’s attitude. Please join us in front of her office at 517 Kiewa St on Thursday 22nd Feb at 12.30pm.
We’ll have speeches featuring former Albury mayor Claire Douglas, a ‘coral not coal’ choir and a ‘kiss Nemo goodbye’ kissing booth. Most importantly we’ll have a long line of people delivering letters about Adani to Sussan’s office. Please bring your letter, ready to hand-deliver. For more information visit facebook.com/StopAdaniAlburyWodonga
We hope to see you there.