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P
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ersonal primary
concerns are people.
And just like any other species, people can only thrive and
prosper if the environment in which they found their niche is preserved and
allowed to continue unmolested.
The corporate world, however, sees life on earth through a
different prism; a prism through which the human is the pre-eminent species, a
species that needs no others and so sees the earth and its resource as its
plaything.
Environment groups managed to stop further planning for the proposed
massive Adani Carmichael Mine in Queensland’s Galilee Basin by pointing out
that the approval processes had not taken account of two vulnerable species,
the yakka skink and the ornamental snake.
An ABC story of
last week – “Blocking Adani coal mine approval 'dangerous' for Australia,'tragic' for world: Tony Abbott” – tells of the government’s disappointment of
the success of what was a legal and justified way of stopping the project, no
matter how momentarily.
Just today the Age
reports – “Review questions Coalition push to end 'legal sabotage' of resources projects” – sees the move as “legal sabotage” and is acting to stop it through
legislative changes.
That process has been discussed on The Conversation - “The government vs the environment: lawfare in Australia.” – in which the term “authoritarianism” is used.
The government is now arguing that only those directly
influenced of affected by what is proposed, in this case the Carmichael Mine, should
have the right to object and formally oppose the proposal.
A profit-driven want for coal is the reason for the
Carmichael Mine; coal is the prime villain in global warming; the climate
change it brings affects all of us, irrespective of where we live and so anyone,
anywhere in the world, considering the government’s conditions, has a
legitimate right to object to what’s proposed in Queensland.
-
Robert McLean
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